I opened my own folder and removed printed screenshots.
Her texts.
“Just cover this one bill.”
“I swear I’ll pay you back.”
“Don’t tell Mom Eric lost the deposit.”
“Can you send ten thousand before Friday?”
Every lie had a date.
Every debt had a number.
“One hundred eighty-six thousand dollars,” I said. “The repayment demand goes out today.”
Eric choked.
“You told me those were gifts.”
Vanessa spun toward him.
“Don’t be stupid.”
The officer looked at my mother.
“Would you like to return the keys voluntarily?”
Mother stared at me with furious, wet eyes.
“After everything I sacrificed for you?”
I almost laughed.
“You sacrificed my childhood to raise Vanessa like a princess and me like an ATM.”
Her lips parted.
No answer came.
I stepped closer.
“You called me selfish because I stopped paying admission to a family that only loved me when I was useful.”
The keys dropped into my palm.
A small sound.
A massive ending.
By sunset, the wedding had collapsed.
