Her lips trembled.
“We never wanted to hurt you.”
I looked directly at her.
“Then why didn’t you stop him?”
She had no answer.
Because the truth was simpler than any excuse she could offer.
My mother had watched my father strike me, and her first concern had been whether they could still get the house.
The hearing continued for another hour.
Nora presented copies of the original deed, the county filing, the company’s registration records, and the financing summary.
The investigator had also obtained communications showing that my father had discussed using my property to secure the debt connected to Melanie’s mansion.
One message from my mother read:
“Claire won’t cooperate unless we make her understand she owes us.”
Another, sent by Melanie, said:
“Once it’s transferred, she can’t do anything about it.”
I stared at those words on the monitor.
They had mistaken my patience for weakness.
