LOGINIt was the day before my wedding. My mother suddenly demanded that I hand over my bank card and announced, "Erik still needs another 50,000 dollars for the house, Vicky. Why don't you help him cover the rest for now?" I stared at her in disbelief. "Wait. Haven't I been helping pay that off for over eight years? How is there still 50,000 dollars left?" My mother avoided my gaze. "Interest rates are high these days, Vicky." I pulled up my banking app. I had been transferring 2000 dollars every month! How had that not made a dent in the debt? Something definitely smelled fishy. Ever since I graduated, my mother had told me I needed to help pay off the mortgage because, in her words, it had to be a family effort. Erik was still young and didn't have a stable income, she said. Thus, every month, as soon as I got paid, I had to transfer a set amount to my mother's account. I had been doing that for eight years. Because of those payments, I never had enough disposable income to buy jewelry or accessories. I could never bring myself to quit my job or take an extended leave of absence. I couldn't even bring myself to tell my boyfriend that I was still helping pay off my brother's debt. "You're his sister, Vicky. You're family! Blood is thicker than water, right? Even after you get married, that won't change. We'll always be on your side," my mother insisted. After everything I had contributed, I honestly believed I had a claim to the house too. At least, I did until today. By chance, I found Erik's folder in the living room. Inside was the property deed. I glanced at it and froze. My brother was the sole owner of the house.
View MoreAfter a three-hour drive, Nick and I arrived at St. Bathory General Hospital. We made our way through the lobby and down several hallways before I pushed open the door to the shared hospital room.I braced myself against the overpowering smell of antiseptic and the faint, musty odor beneath it. There, in the corner, lay the woman I used to call Mom.I would not have recognized her if the nurse hadn't told me which bed was hers.She looked so haggard and frail that her skin seemed to cling to her bones, wrinkled and deeply creased like tree bark. Her eyes were dark and sunken. Her once snow-white hair had faded to a dull, ashen gray.At the sound of my footsteps, she slowly turned her eyes toward me. They immediately reddened. Cloudy tears streamed endlessly down the deep creases of her face.She tried to reach for the hem of my shirt, but her hand trembled too badly. Her voice came out raspy and hoarse, thick with tears and regret. "Vicky… You're finally here… You finally came to
His mother was in tears. She clutched his arm and tried to make him listen, but that day, Erik had completely lost control.In the chaos, he kicked her squarely in the stomach and sent her tumbling down a flight of steep, unforgiving stairs.The neighbors called 911 when they heard her cries.By the time the ambulance arrived, she was lying in a pool of blood, her legs bent beyond recognition.The diagnosis came soon after: she had suffered severe spinal damage, and the bones in both her legs had shattered. She was effectively paralyzed.This time, Erik faced criminal charges. The police arrested him at the scene, and his case soon went to trial.Even when he saw his mother confined to a wheelchair, he showed no remorse or guilt. He only stared at her with bitter rage.He was sentenced to three years in prison.Vikcy was at an exotic island with her husband when the news reached her.She took a sip of champagne as she watched the report on her phone. A breeze stirred her hair,
Lloyd was blunt and uncompromising, and his voice carried across the entire lobby. "In the eyes of the law, this constitutes fraud. The money was never intended as a voluntary gift, which means you defrauded Ms. Hunter."My client is now demanding the return of every dollar she has paid you over the years, plus interest. The total comes to 300,000 dollars."Erik's face went white as a sheet. He stumbled backward, and the loudspeaker slipped from his hand and hit the floor with a loud clank."Y-You're suing me?! Are you fucking insane, bitch?! You're suing your own brother!" he bellowed.I fixed him with a hard stare. "That's news to me. I didn't know you actually remembered you were my brother."You certainly didn't remember that I was supposed to be your sister when you claimed the house I'd worked so hard to pay for as your own. You didn't even blink when you kicked me out of my own house!"I pointed at the court papers. "I'm not going to settle for a cent less, and you can cou
Erik held a large sign scrawled in barely legible, blood-red paint: [Give me back my hard-earned money, Vicky Hunter!]Beside him, a loudspeaker blared a prerecorded message on repeat. "Vicky Hunter, get your head out of the sand and face the consequences you deserve! Get down here and pay back what you stole from me!"If you don't, I'll come to your company every day and drag your name through the mud! Good luck finding another job in this industry after that, you hag!"The lobby was packed with onlookers, employees and clients alike. They pointed and whispered among themselves as the recording continued to blare.As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, my mother sprang to her feet and lunged at me. The security guards I'd brought intercepted her before she could reach me."Finally decided to show up, huh, you ingrate?!" she shrieked from behind the guards, gnashing her teeth."You're transferring three hundred grand to me right now! Right now! I want you to pay off your broth






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