Eleanor stared down at the papers spread across the table. “What exactly is all of this supposed to be?”
“This is proof that you both chose entirely the wrong person to underestimate,” I said.
I pushed the trust deed across the table toward her. Her eyes dropped immediately to the line listing the owner’s legal name. Mine. For the first time all night, every trace of arrogance drained completely out of her expression.
Audrey lunged suddenly toward the folder on the table, but Detective Harris caught her wrist firmly before she could grab anything. Her wine glass slipped from her other hand and shattered loudly against the hardwood floor.
“You forged my own wife’s signature,” I said. “You stole from my military deployment benefits. You sold her jewelry behind her back, canceled her scheduled medical appointments, and told our neighbors she was mentally unstable.”
Eleanor lifted her chin defiantly. “We deserved something in return, after everything we did for you over the years, Lucas.”
“You didn’t raise me,” I said flatly. “Grandpa did, after you disappeared entirely for five straight years when I was a kid. And his instructions to me, written clearly in that trust, were always very specific: protect the family that actually protects you in return.”
Sophia started crying softly beside me. Eleanor did not shed a single tear.
Leaving for the Hospital
The ambulance crew carried Leo carefully outside while another paramedic helped Sophia gently onto a waiting stretcher. I leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“I’ll be right behind you at the hospital, I promise.”
Naomi touched my arm gently. “Finish handling this situation first, Lucas. Make absolutely certain they can never get anywhere near her again.”
Eleanor overheard that and let out a bitter laugh. “So you’re genuinely choosing that woman over your own mother, then?”
I looked directly at her. “I’m choosing my wife over the people who deliberately hurt her.”
