Chapter 5 - The Cracks Show
My father threw the document onto the floor in a fit of rage.
"This is a mistake! My father loved me!"
"He loved you enough not to send you to prison for embezzling from his company," I reminded him.
Julia pacing the room like a caged animal.
"Mom, do something! Call Uncle Robert, get his lawyers on the phone!"
My mother was staring blankly at the floor, the reality of the situation sinking in.
"Mom!" Julia screamed.
"Stop yelling," my mother snapped, rubbing her temples.
She looked up at me, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.
"Clare, sweetie, please. We made a mistake."
"Don't do that," I said, holding up a hand. "Don't pretend to be the loving mother now."
"We were just desperate," she cried, stepping toward me. "Your father lost his job, and Julia has so much credit card debt..."
Julia gasped in outrage.
"Mom! You're throwing me under the bus?"
"I'm trying to save us!" my mother yelled back.
Agent Vance watched the family implode with a stoic expression.
"Mrs. Thompson, a financial motive does not excuse a federal crime," he stated.
"It was his idea!" my mother pointed frantically at my father.
My father looked at his wife in pure shock.
"Helen, are you out of your mind?"
"You told me it was foolproof!" she screamed at him. "You said Clare was too stupid to fight back!"
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I felt a cold sting in my chest, despite knowing exactly how they felt about me.
"Well," I said quietly. "I guess I'm not that stupid after all."
