Chapter 8 - Sign Here and Disappear
Mom visited the hospital carrying white lilies and the document the wedding planner had sent me. She set the flowers down without asking how I felt.
“Everyone is exhausted,” she began. “Sloan's marriage could fall apart.”
I glanced at the lilies. She knew I was allergic to them.
“Then maybe Sloan should worry about the person she pushed down the stairs.”
Mom's lips pressed together. “Your sister made one mistake.”
“She made several. You made several more.”
She slid the release across my blanket. “Sign this. Your father can arrange help with your medical bills.”
“Using whose card?”
Her cheeks reddened. “Must you turn every conversation into an accusation?”
“No. Just the conversations about money taken from me.”
She folded her hands. “People are already saying you're trying to destroy Sloan. You could stop this right now.”
For a moment I remembered my ruined prom dress, the empty bank account, the years of being told to be the bigger person because I was the older daughter. Every apology I'd made had been another brick in the wall they kept me behind.
I pushed the paper back. “I won't sign something false.”
Mom leaned close. “Your father has friends who can make trouble for you at work.”
That sentence settled between us. It wasn't concern. It was a threat.
I called the nurse and asked her to escort my visitor out. Mom stared as though I'd committed an unforgivable betrayal.
At the doorway, she delivered one last warning.
“If this family goes down, you go down with us.”
May you like
After she left, Nora reviewed the release. It included a clause requiring me to waive future claims against the event venue—and to reimburse my parents for any losses caused by the payment dispute.
They wanted me to take responsibility for the money they'd stolen, too.
