Chapter 2: The Money Behind The Smile
The house that was supposed to hold my son’s first birthday memories suddenly felt like a courtroom.
Everyone was watching.
Waiting.
Some relatives looked uncomfortable.
Others looked entertained.
My mother seemed to believe she was still winning.
She walked toward the kitchen counter and picked up a stack of receipts.
“You want to know what I’ve done for this family?”” Teresa asked.
I didn’t answer.
She placed the papers on the counter.
“I organized everything. I bought food. I decorated the house. I made this birthday special.””
“This wasn’t your money,” I said.
Her expression changed.
Only for a second.
But I noticed.
“I used the money you gave me,” she admitted.
Amy looked up.
“What money?””
The room went silent again.
I looked at my wife.
“Amy…”
Her face changed.
“Connor, what money?””
My mother quickly interrupted.
“The money for household expenses.””
Amy stared at her.
“What household expenses?””
Teresa rolled her eyes.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.””
“I don’t,” Amy said.
Her voice cracked.
“I haven’t seen any of that money.””
My stomach twisted.
I looked at my mother.
“What did you tell Amy?””
Teresa laughed nervously.
“She’s confused because she’s tired.””
“No,” Amy whispered.
“I’m not confused.””
She slowly stood up, still holding Frederick.
“I thought you were helping us.””
My mother’s face hardened.
“I was.””
“With what?”” Amy asked.
No one answered.
Frederick began crying again.
Amy immediately focused on him, rocking him gently.
That small action made my anger burn hotter.
Even after everything, she was still protecting our son.
My mother noticed.
And somehow, she became even colder.
“You’re making this into something it isn’t,” Teresa said.
I looked at her.
“You made my wife serve twenty people while holding a sick baby.””
“They are family.””
“She is family too.””
My aunt Betsy stepped forward.
“Connor, your mother only wants what’s best for you.””
I turned toward her.
“Did what’s best for me include humiliating my wife?””
Betsy looked away.
No answer.
I walked to the dining room table.
There were gifts everywhere.
But something caught my attention.
A folder.
Half hidden underneath decorations.
My mother noticed me looking at it.
“Don’t touch that.””
That sentence stopped me.
Because people only say “don’t touch that” when there is something they don’t want found.
I picked it up.
“Connor.””
Her voice became sharper.
I opened the folder.
The first page made my hands go numb.
It was a document with my home address.
My name.
And my mother’s signature.
I read the title again.
Then again.
I couldn’t believe it.
“What is this?””
Nobody spoke.
Amy moved closer.
“Connor?””
I looked at my mother.
“What did you sign?””
Her face had gone pale.
For the first time that day, Teresa looked afraid.
And before she could answer, my phone buzzed.
A message appeared on the screen.
From my bank.
My blood ran cold as I read the notification.
Because the transaction wasn’t just about the money my mother had taken.
It was about something much bigger.
May you like
Something she had been preparing for months.
And the name attached to the request was someone I never expected to see.
