Chapter 6 - The Final Toast
“Claire! You look stunning,” my mother said, though her eyes darted nervously to Valerie, who shifted in her seat. Derek stood up to pull out my chair, playing the gentleman. We ordered dinner and made small talk. Derek bragged about his firm, oblivious to the fact that his access badge had already been deactivated. I ate my steak slowly, savoring every bite of the tension. When the dessert plates were cleared, Derek tapped his glass with a spoon and stood up to give a toast to me and to "family," celebrating his big promotion.
“My turn,” I said, standing up as the room grew quiet. I reached into my designer bag, pulled out the three heavy envelopes, and placed one in front of each of them. “What’s this? A gift?” Derek asked, laughing nervously. “Open it,” I commanded softly. Derek pulled his out first, and all the blood drained from his cheeks when he saw the divorce petition pinned to the forged lease agreement. Valerie’s hands began to shake as she uncovered photos of her and Derek, along with her apartment eviction notice. My mother slowly opened hers to find bank statements highlighting the money she helped hide, topped with a printed transcript of her cruel words from the hospital hallway.
A suffocating silence fell over the room. “It’s an audit, Derek,” I said, my voice cold as ice. “I know everything.” Valerie burst into tears, begging to explain, but I cut her off, throwing her hypocrisy back in her face. My mother panicked, claiming I was overreacting and that family is complicated. “You are not my family,” I told her. “A mother protects her daughter. You sold me out to fund a fantasy.” Derek tried to bargain, promising his promotion would pay me back, but I shattered that illusion too. “I sent the flash drive of your corporate expense fraud to the ethics board. You don’t have a job anymore.” As he screamed that I had ruined him, I simply picked up my purse, told them to figure out the dinner bill, and walked out into the Seattle rain, finally able to breathe.
