Chapter 3 - The Money That Wasn't HisAndy tried to laugh.
“Mom, you're confused.”
Evelyn didn't blink.
“No.”
She looked directly at her son.
“I remember exactly.”
Summer sat down.
“Evelyn, what account are you talking about?”
“My husband had a savings account.”
“Your husband?”
“Andy’s father.”
Summer knew Mr. Oldham had died six years earlier.
But she had never known much about his finances.
Evelyn continued.
“Before he died, he told me the money was supposed to go to Andy.”
Andy interrupted.
“Exactly.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“No.”
The word landed heavily.
“He told me you would receive it after your sister.”
Andy stared.
“I never said that.”
“You told me the money was going into your business.”
“It was.”
Evelyn looked at Summer.
“He asked me for forty thousand dollars.”
Summer's stomach tightened.
“When?”
“Three months ago.”
“Why?”
“He said you two were planning to expand the house.”
Andy shook his head.
“No.”
Evelyn continued.
“He said Summer wanted to start a home-based business.”
Summer stared at Andy.
“I never said that.”
“I was going to surprise you.”
“With thirty-seven-thousand-dollar wheels?”
Andy had no answer.
Marcus spoke quietly.
“Could the transfer be traced?”
Evelyn looked at him.
“What?”
“If you still have the bank records.”
She nodded.
“I do.”
That night, Evelyn called her bank.
The transfer appeared.
$40,000.
Recipient:
Andrew Oldham.
But something was strange.
The transfer had been made from an estate account.
Not Evelyn's personal account.
It was money that belonged to the estate of Andrew Oldham Senior.
And the estate had not been fully distributed.
Evelyn stared at the document.
“My son wasn't supposed to have this.”
Summer looked at Andy.
“What did you do?”
He slammed his hand on the table.
“Enough!”
Everyone went silent.
“You're all acting like I'm some criminal.”
Denise shook her head.
“You lied about the money.”
Andy pointed at Summer.
“She wastes everything.”
Summer laughed once.
“Everything?”
“I work.”
“So do I.”
“I pay the bills.”
“And I pay the household expenses.”
“You're supposed to manage them.”
“With seventy-five dollars.”
Andy looked around.
“You're embarrassing me.”
Summer's voice remained calm.
“No, Andy.”
“You embarrassed yourself.”
He grabbed his jacket.
Evelyn stood.
“Where are you going?”
“Out.”
“You're staying here.”
“Mom—”
“You stole money from your father's estate.”
Andy froze.
“I borrowed it.”
“You never asked.”
“I was going to replace it.”
“With what?”
Silence.
Summer looked at the receipt again.
Thirty-seven thousand dollars.
Then she remembered something.
The rims weren't the only expensive purchase.
She opened her phone.
For months, she had tracked every household expense.
She had noticed strange withdrawals.
Small at first.
Then larger.
$2,400.
$1,800.
$4,700.
She added them.
The total exceeded $40,000.
She looked at Andy.
“How much money have you taken?”
He stared at her.
“I don't know.”
“You do.”
“No.”
“Then we'll let the bank tell us.”
For the first time, Andy looked genuinely afraid.
Evelyn sat down.
Her hands were trembling.
“My husband worked his entire life for that money.”
Summer placed her hand over Evelyn's.
“I know.”
Evelyn looked at her.
“I'm sorry.”
Summer squeezed her fingers.
“You didn't do this.”
Evelyn looked toward her son.
“No.”
She shook her head.
May you like
“I raised him.”
And that sentence carried more pain than anger ever could.
Related Stories
