Chapter 4 - What My Mother Was Really Buying
The police obtained records from my mother's accounts.
What they found shocked everyone.
For years, Mom had been taking money from me.
Small amounts.
Five hundred here.
A thousand there.
Nothing large enough to notice.
But together?
Almost $180,000.
She had called them family expenses.
Medical bills.
Home repairs.
I had never questioned her.
Then the investigators discovered where the money went.
A luxury condo.
A private club.
Credit card payments.
And a second bank account.
The account belonged to Irene.
My sister had received almost $70,000.
I called her.
She didn't answer.
Then she texted.
I didn't know.
I replied:
You were in Florida.
Mom invited me.
You were eating food I bought for Lucy.
No answer.
Finally:
I thought it was family money.
I stared at the message.
Family money.
That phrase suddenly meant something very different.
The investigators also found hotel bookings.
Florida wasn't a three-day vacation.
It was a two-week luxury trip.
Paid almost entirely with the money I'd transferred for Lucy's recovery.
But there was something stranger.
One hotel room had been booked under Lucy's name.
Dates matched the week Lucy was supposed to be recovering at home.
My attorney looked at me.
"Why would your mother book a room under Lucy's identity?"
I didn't know.
Then we found the guest list.
My mother.
Irene.
A fertility specialist.
And a private investigator.
I felt sick.
My mother had been planning something involving Lucy's pregnancy.
The investigator interviewed the specialist.
He admitted he'd been paid to obtain Lucy's medical records.
"Why?"
He said Carol had told him she suspected the baby wasn't Daniel's.
That explained the fake DNA report.
But not the power of attorney.
Then we found another document.
A custody agreement.
Drafted before Ava was born.
It stated that if Lucy became "medically incapable" of caring for the child, temporary custody would transfer to Carol.
My mother had been building a case.
She wanted to make Lucy appear unstable.
She had medical records.
False DNA results.
Financial problems created through forged loans.
And now evidence that Lucy was struggling postpartum.
She had created the problem.
Then she planned to use the problem against her.
I stared at the documents.
"She wanted to take Ava."
My attorney nodded.
"That's what it looks like."
Lucy started crying.
"Why?"
I looked at her.
"Because Mom thinks she owns everything."
She shook her head.
"She's your mother."
"I know."
"But she loved you."
I looked down.
"I don't think she knows what love is anymore."
That night, we changed the locks.
Installed cameras.
Secured the bank accounts.
And hired a postpartum nurse.
For the first time since Ava's birth, Lucy slept for more than four hours.
I stayed awake beside the crib.
Watching my daughter breathe.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice said:
"Your mother isn't the person you should be worried about."
"Who is this?"
"The person who helped her."
"Name?"
Silence.
Then:
"Ask your wife about the clinic."
The call ended.
I looked toward Lucy.
May you like
She was asleep.
I wondered what she hadn't told me.
