Chapter 4 - The KitchenBefore I could finish gathering everything, my mother made a move that revealed her greed once and for all.
She walked into the sunlit kitchen carrying legal documents, completely convinced she still controlled her son and his money. Ophelia trailed behind, already tapping through luxury car dealerships on her phone.
"Austin, dear," Reginella said, her voice dripping with fake maternal affection as she set the papers on the granite countertop. "Since you're going to be so busy transitioning back to civilian life and taking care of… certain matters, I had our family lawyer draft a power of attorney and financial management agreement. It will let me directly oversee your $400,000 military payout so you don't have to worry about a single thing."
Ophelia smirked. "Yeah, Austin. You know how stressful managing that much money is. Mom handled everything while you were away, so it only makes sense."
I stood still, staring at the documents before looking up at both of them. "You really think I came back home blind, don't you?"
Reginella blinked, caught off guard. "What are you talking about? We're just trying to help you—"
"Where did the $100,000 go, Mom?" I stepped forward until I towered over the kitchen island. "The money I sent home over four years for Delaney's living expenses, for our future. Where is it?"
"I told you!" Ophelia interjected. "That sick leech wasted it all! She ruined her hair, she starved herself, and she tried to make us look bad!"
"Shut up, Ophelia."
I pulled a thick folder from my jacket and slammed it onto the counter beside my mother's legal papers. It opened, scattering bank statements, transfer records, and medical documents across the surface.
"I spent the entire night going through the house, through your unlocked desk, and through Delaney's medical bills," I said, pointing at the papers. "You diverted every single dollar into your personal accounts. You bought a truck, expensive clothes, jewelry. And when my wife found out she had stage three cancer and begged you for $300 to see an oncologist, you called her a liar, stole her phone, and locked her in a damp storage room!"
My mother's face lost all color. "Austin… listen to me," she stammered, reaching for my arm with trembling hands. "She was trying to turn you against us! She's an outsider! We are your real family!"
"Family?" I laughed, harsh and bitter. "My wife had to cut off her own hair and sell it for $150 to a wig shop just to pay for a bus ticket and a biopsy to confirm she was fighting for her life. While she was shivering in a storage room, you were sleeping upstairs in silk sheets paid for by my deployment pay."
Ophelia backed toward the hallway. "Mom, tell him he's wrong! Austin, you can't talk to us like this!"
"I'm not just talking to you," I said calmly, pulling out my phone. "I've spent the last two hours on the phone with the Military Legal Assistance Office, the local Sheriff's Department, and a federal prosecutor regarding wire fraud, elder abuse, and embezzlement of military funds. The deputies are pulling up the driveway right now."
Red and blue lights flashed through the front windows as sirens grew louder.
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My mother grabbed my arm in desperation. "Austin, please! I'm your mother! Think of our family name!"
I removed her fingers from my sleeve and stepped back. "My family is in the back room. And today, I am finally taking care of her."
