Chapter 7 - The Confrontation
The room grew so quiet I could hear the hum of the refrigerator. Arthur finally sank into his chair, his posture collapsing.
"I was going to pay it back," he whispered, the classic refrain of every man who has lost everything. "The market turned. I had to keep up appearances, or we’d lose everything."
"You already lost everything," I said, stepping closer. "You lost the cabin, you lost my trust, and you've lost the right to manage a single penny of my father's hard work."
Emily looked at the documents on the table. She didn't read them all, but she saw the bank statements—the ones marked with her own name, showing funds taken from accounts she hadn't known existed. The realization hit her like a physical blow. Her lifestyle hadn't been a success; it had been a crime scene.
"You used me," she breathed, looking at Arthur. "You knew I'd want the trip, and you used it to justify taking his money?"
"I wanted you to have a life!" Arthur shouted, his desperation peaking. "I wanted to be the man who provided for you!"
"You weren't providing," I interrupted, my voice cold and steady. "You were stealing from a ghost. And now, you're going to answer for it."
May you like
I picked up my phone and dialed the number of the attorney I had hired back home. "It's time," I said. "Send the files to the DA."
Arthur buried his face in his hands, his sobbing muffled by the silence of the room. The confrontation was over. There was no more arguing to be done; the law would handle the rest, and I was finally, truly free.
