Chapter 6 - The Counterattack
The lawyer, a sharp-eyed man named Mr. Sterling, took exactly one day to review the documents.
"This isn't just civil, son," Sterling said, leaning back in his leather chair. "This is felony wire fraud. Forgery. Elder abuse doesn't apply, but familial exploitation and child neglect sure as hell do, especially regarding the passport withholding and forced isolation. We have them."
We didn't send a warning. We dropped a nuclear bomb.
Three days later, while my mother and sister were staying at a luxury hotel (paid for by credit cards still linked to my drained accounts), the police arrived.
They weren't there to politely ask them to leave this time. They were there with warrants.
When the call came through from the county jail, I let it go to voicemail. "Please!" my mother’s voice sobbed through the speaker a minute later. "You can't do this! We're your blood! Valerie is having a panic attack, you have to post our bail! Please, son!"
I saved the voicemail, deleted the notification, and went back to cooking pancakes for Leo.
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For the first time in five years, my son was laughing. Lira was wearing a beautiful new sundress I had bought her that morning, sitting at the kitchen island, drinking coffee. The dark circles under her eyes were already starting to fade.
I wasn't going to let anyone drag us back into the dark.
