Yes,” I said.
His face broke with relief. Then I finished.
“I will help you tell the truth.”
The relief vanished. “What?”
“I will help you speak to Howard. I will help you document the fraud. I will help you surrender what you can’t keep and face the people you owe. I will pay for an attorney, not a rescue. I will pay for safety, not your lifestyle. I won’t give you cash. I won’t hide assets. I won’t lie for you.”
“Mom, they’ll ruin me.”
“You are already ruined.
Now you have to decide whether you’ll be rebuilt or buried.”
His eyes hardened. Not fully. Just enough for me to recognize the old disease.
“So that’s it? You sell my home, and now you lecture me from behind a gate?”
“I sold my property after you assaulted me.”
His jaw tightened.
“And there he is,” I said quietly.
