Chapter 5 - The Desperate Trap
A week passed. The financial fraud investigators had gathered enough evidence to hand the case over to the district attorney. Margaret’s bank accounts were frozen, and Tyler’s car—which he had bought using our stolen money—was repossessed.
I was working from the dining room table, keeping a close eye on Emma as she rested on the patio, when the doorbell rang.
I checked the security app on my phone. It was Tyler. He was pacing nervously on the front porch, looking disheveled.
I locked the back door, told Emma to stay put, and walked to the front. I didn't open the door; I spoke through the intercom. "Leave, Tyler. You're trespassing."
"Dave, please! You have to talk to me!" Tyler’s voice crackled through the speaker, laced with panic. "Mom is going crazy. The police came to her motel today. They served her with papers. You're actually pressing charges?"
"She stole our money, Tyler. What did you expect?"
"She did it for me!" he pleaded, pressing his hands against the glass. "Look, I can get the money back! I just need time. If you drop the charges, I swear I'll pay you back. But if she gets a felony conviction, she'll lose her pension! You'll ruin her life!"
"She almost killed my baby," I said, my voice cold as ice. "She kicked my eight-month-pregnant wife in the stomach because Emma couldn't balance well enough while scrubbing her feet. Do not talk to me about ruining lives."
"It was an accident! She didn't mean it!" Tyler yelled, his desperation turning to anger. He started banging on the door. "You owe us! We're your blood! Open the damn door, Dave, or I'll break it down!"
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I didn't argue. I just pressed a button on the wall panel. "I'm calling the police, Tyler. You have three minutes before they arrive."
Tyler cursed, kicking the doorframe before sprinting back to his beat-up truck and speeding away. I stood by the door for a long time, my hands shaking with residual adrenaline. I had finally severed the toxic roots of my past. There was no going back now, and I had never felt more relieved.
