My father hurled a wine glass into my face during Easter dinner because I would not give my sister my home, and my mother gestured toward the blood and said, “You have rooms sitting empty.” They expected me to break down, apologize, and place my keys in Bethany’s hand right there between the glazed ham and pastel-colored eggs—until I drove myself to the emergency room and texted my attorney, “Phase One Is Complete.”

I dropped my phone onto the motel bed, feeling completely betrayed.

My mother had actually hired my bitter ex-fiance to drill out the locks on my home.

I immediately dialed Mark's business number, practically shaking with anger when he answered.

"You have absolutely no legal right to change the locks on my property," I screamed into the receiver.

Mark let out a dark, mocking laugh.

"I was hired by the legal tenants, Sally, and they paid me ten thousand dollars up front," he replied.

I froze, my mind scrambling to make sense of his words.

My parents were deeply in debt and did not have ten thousand dollars in liquid cash to throw around.

A sickening realization washed over me.

I quickly logged into my banking application.

Ten years ago, when I bought the house, my mother had co-signed on an emergency savings account just in case I lost my job.

I had forgotten to remove her name from the account when I became financially independent.

I watched the screen load, praying that my instincts were wrong.

The application finally opened, displaying a bright red zero at the top of the screen.

My mother had driven to the bank the moment I left for the emergency room.

She had drained all forty-five thousand dollars of my life savings.

Beneath the empty balance was a single recent transaction for exactly one penny.

The memo line attached to the transfer contained a brief, chilling message.

It read, "Happy Easter, dear."

My vision blurred with tears of absolute panic.

I was broke, locked out of my home, and bleeding from a head wound.

I called Richard and confessed that I no longer had the funds to pay for his legal services.

Richard remained silent for a long moment before letting out a heavy sigh.

"I will take this case on contingency, Sally, because no one gets away with this in my town," he promised.

He told me to get dressed and meet him at the courthouse because we had a judge willing to hear our emergency injunction.

I arrived at the courthouse feeling a small spark of hope.

The judge listened to our story and looked ready to slam his gavel in our favor.

The Billionaire Put On a Waiter’s Apron to Test His Fiancée, but the Wom...

My father bet twenty dollars that I would walk through his front door al...

My Husband Slapped Me Out of His House for His Mistress, Then the Most F...

Then, my parents' sleazy defense attorney stepped forward and handed a dusty folder to the judge.

"Your Honor, my clients cannot be evicted from a property they legally own," the lawyer announced.

Chapter 3 - The Empty Account