for a moment.
I'd heard enough. "Get out of my house."
"It's not your decision, Margaret." Alicia turned to the twins. "You're adults now. Sign the papers, confirm my assignment, and you'll have so much money you won't know what to do with it."
Her next words made my blood boil. "Or stay here and play happy family with the old lady who took you in out of pity."
Ethan clenched his jaw. "Out of pity? She loved us when you threw us away like trash."
"I made a difficult decision in an impossible situation," Alicia snapped.
I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed the phone and made the call that would change everything.
Her next words made my blood boil.
My lawyer, Caroline, arrived within the hour. She was a smart woman who helped me with my adoption papers 18 years ago. She looked at Alicia, and her expression hardened.
She held out her hand for the envelope. "Let me see what we're dealing with."
Caroline read the documents carefully as we all sat in tense silence. Finally, she looked at Alicia with disgust. "This is bullying. You're demanding that these young adults give up the only mother they've ever known in exchange for money."
Alicia crossed her arms defensively. "That's what my father left in his will."
My lawyer, Caroline, arrived within the hour.
"Your father left his estate to his grandchildren, not to you," Caroline said coldly. "These documents are your attempt to manipulate access to the money through them."
She turned to Ethan and Sophie.
Her next words were like a lifeline. "You don't have to sign anything. Your grandfather left this money directly to you, which means he has no right to manage it or dictate terms."
Sophie looked at the scattered papers, then at Alicia. "You didn't come here because you missed us. You came because you want money that isn't even yours."
Her next words were like a lifeline.
Ethan's voice was soft but firm. "Margaret is our mother. She rocked us through nightmares. She taught us to ride bikes and watched over us when we were sick. You're just the one who left us on the plane."
Alicia's face flushed with anger. "Fine. Throw away the fortune because you're too sentimental to see reality."
She grabbed her purse and stood. "When you're struggling to pay for college, remember I offered you a way out."
"We'd rather fight with dignity than sell our souls to someone like you," Sophie said.
But Caroline didn't finish. "Before you go, Alicia, you should know that abandoning your children is a serious crime. The statute of limitations hasn't expired, and my clients can pursue legal action for the trauma caused by your negligence."
"We'd rather fight with dignity
than sell our souls
to someone like you."
Alicia's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."
I looked her straight in the eye. "Try us. You've been avoiding your responsibilities for 18 years. Now you're going to pay for it."
Caroline went after Alicia with the full force of the law. Within two weeks, we had obtained documentation of the emotional damage, years of unpaid child support, and the costs of raising two children for whom Alicia had never contributed financially.
The final decision made Alicia's face pale. "Are you going to make me pay them?" she stammered in the lawyer's office. "I paid them back. I don't owe them anything."
The final decision
made Alicia's face turn
white.
