Chapter 3 - The Mother's Betrayal
My knees nearly buckled beneath me.
The trust funds had been left to my children by my late grandmother.
It was hundreds of thousands of dollars, completely drained by the man who was supposed to protect them.
"He stole their future?" I whispered, my voice shaking with a rage I had never felt before.
Ryan nervously adjusted his tuxedo collar, taking another step away from the angry crowd.
"It was an investment," Ryan stammered desperately.
"I was going to put the money back before they ever turned eighteen!"
"You bought a sports car and a luxury condo for your mistress!" Mark yelled back at him.
Before I could launch myself at Ryan, my mother suddenly pushed her way past Mark.
She grabbed my arm, her manicured fingernails digging painfully into my skin.
"Annie, you need to take Amelia and leave right now," my mother ordered through gritted teeth.
I looked at my mother, completely baffled by her reaction.
"Are you insane?" I asked her.
"He stole my children's money and planned to take them away from me!"
My mother kept her voice low, desperately trying to save the public image of the wedding.
"We can handle the money issues privately," she hissed.
"You are embarrassing your sister in front of half the city."
I yanked my arm out of her grip, staring at the woman who raised me as if she were a total stranger.
"You knew about the money, didn't you?" I asked, the realization hitting me like a physical blow.
My mother avoided my eyes, looking nervously toward the ground.
"Mom, look at me!" I screamed, the sound tearing through my throat.
"Did you know he stole from your own grandchildren?"
My sister suddenly laughed, a harsh, hysterical sound that sent chills down my spine.
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"Of course she knew, Annie," my sister mocked, wiping her ruined mascara.
"Who do you think Ryan paid off when the bank threatened to foreclose on Mom's house last year?"
