Chapter 6

"Compensation?" Brenda practically squealed, greed gleaming in her eyes. "No amount of money will ever fix my son's broken legs!"

I cut right through her nonsense. "His broken legs have nothing to do with me. He ended up in a wheelchair because he was screwing another woman."

"You lying little snake! I’ll rip your tongue out!" Brenda lunged toward me, her arms raised.

My parents grabbed my shoulders, pulling me back and begging me not to start a war.

Brenda was a human wildfire. She had walked all over me and my family for years. Ever since she convinced herself that Lucas' accident was my fault, she had been harassing my mom weekly, demanding thousands of dollars in medical expenses and "nutrition fees."

My parents had kept it hidden from me to protect me, but I found out eventually.

As Brenda's face turned purple, preparing another explosion, I pulled out my phone. I slid the dashcam footage and the official forensic reports across the coffee table.

She stared at the screen. The smug, high-and-mighty look drained out of her, replaced by absolute panic.

Even trapped in a corner, she tried to bluff her way out. "This proves nothing. How do I know you didn't fake all of this?"

"Check the timestamp," I said, my gaze shifting to Lucas. He sat in his wheelchair, his face dead white, paralyzed with shock. "Or we can let a judge look at it in court."

"Alright, that’s enough. We don't air our dirty laundry in public," my father-in-law, Kevin Whitmore, finally chimed in. He had been silent until now. "Both of you made mistakes. But throwing away a marriage overnight without a word is wrong. Let's get back to discussing the financial settlement."

My mom started to speak, but I held up a hand to stop her. "You won't get a single dime."

"What’s wrong with you?!" Brenda shrieked, "My son took care of you for years! How can you treat him like garbage?"

I let out a cold laugh. "He took care of me? I work full-time. I paid the rent, the groceries, the utilities. Every single dollar Lucas earned went straight to his mistress. With what money was he taking care of me?"

Brenda’s skin flushed deep red.

Realizing she couldn't win the argument, she bolted up and yanked the front door wide open. "I'm done talking to a brat like you. Let's see what the neighbors think of your behavior!"

Her screaming had already drawn a crowd in the hallway. A half-dozen neighbors were hovering outside, looking awkward as the door flew open.

Brenda didn't care. She launched into a tearful, twisted version of the story, brushing over the cheating evidence with two quick, dismissive sentences.

The neighbors took the bait, shifting uncomfortably and offering unsolicited advice. "Come on, it isn't that serious. It was just a stupid mistake. Lucas still loves you."

"She's right," another added, "You've been together so long. Throwing him out on the street with nothing is pretty harsh."

Watching everyone point fingers at me broke my mom’s heart. She hurried to the doorway and caught Brenda by the sleeve. "Please, Brenda, let's just talk about this inside, behind closed doors."

"Oh, now you want to talk privately? Where was that energy five minutes ago?!" Brenda snapped. She shoved my mom back with all her weight.

My mom stumbled backward, her heel catching on the rug. She almost crashed onto the floor before I lunged forward and caught her by the waist.

Rage surged through my chest. Before I could scream at Brenda, a chubby little boy broke through the crowd of neighbors, sprinting into the apartment.

He threw his arms around Lucas' lap, slamming into the wheelchair. "Daddy! You haven't come to see me in forever! You have to buy me a new Transformer to make up for it!"