Chapter 4 - Shattered Illusions
Back in the civilian world, reality was violently catching up with my family.
General Thorne had assigned a Vanguard intelligence analyst to monitor their communications—standard procedure for anyone attempting to extort a high-level defense contractor. I read the transcripts the next morning while eating fresh strawberries on my balcony.
My father’s credit cards had been declined at the hotel they tried to check into. The bank had informed him that the primary account holder—my trust—had severed all authorized users.
Olivia and Julian had tried to check into a luxury resort, only to find that Julian's "successful" podcast revenue couldn't even cover a single night. Michael had been quietly subsidizing Julian’s lifestyle through the family accounts to keep Olivia happy.
Without my late husband's blood money, they were nothing.
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They were forced to rent a cramped, two-bedroom apartment on the edge of town, using the last of my father’s meager retirement savings. The transcripts detailed screaming matches. My mother blaming Olivia for pushing me into the basement. Julian threatening to divorce Olivia because she was no longer a trust-fund baby.
The artificial cheer of their conditional love had evaporated the second the money dried up. They were eating each other alive.
