My sister slapped my five-year-old daughter at Thanksgiving because she touched her plate, and my mother told me not to make a scene—but when my husband threw a thick folder onto the table, the entire family went silent… / Chapter 8 / 48

Chapter 8 - Evelyn's Desperate Bargain

"Officer, please, show some mercy! It's Thanksgiving!" Mom wailed, crawling across the floor toward Detective Miller, clutching at the hem of his coat. "She's sick! She's mentally unwell! I won't press charges for the money! It's my money, I forgive her! Take me instead!"

"It isn't just your money, Mrs. Hayes," Detective Miller said firmly, stepping back from her grasp. "Mr. Vance and Mrs. Vance are the registered legal lienholders and primary victims of the identity theft. The state is prosecuting this case regardless of whether you forgive her. And as for you..." Miller paused, looking down at Mom with deep disdain. "...my office is reviewing whether you acted as an accessory after the fact to forged state documents. You would do well to retain an attorney and stay put."

The deputies dragged Amanda toward the front door. She was spitting curses, screaming obscenities at me, swearing that when she got out, she would burn my life to the ground. Lily buried her face deeper into my neck, trembling, but I held her tight, rubbing her back and whispering soothing words of love into her ear.

As the front door closed behind Amanda, the house fell into an eerie, suffocating quiet.

Mom remained on the floor, weeping hysterically into the floral rug. After several minutes, her sobs subsided into pathetic whimpers. She looked up at me, her eyes red, her makeup smeared into hideous black streaks across her cheeks.

"Sarah..." she choked out, extending a trembling hand toward me. "Sarah, your own sister... you sent your own sister to jail on Thanksgiving. How could you be so heartless? What will the neighbors say? What will the church say?"

I looked down at her. The woman who gave birth to me, yet who had spent thirty years treating me as a second-class citizen while worshiping the monster who just shoved her onto a brick hearth.

"You didn't care what anyone said when Amanda slapped Lily," I replied, my voice devoid of emotion. "You didn't care about justice when she forged our signatures and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Dad’s dying estate. You only care about appearances. And you only care about Amanda."