Chapter 6 - The Mother’s Betrayal
My mother looked completely out of place in the dirty motel room.
She wore a pristine designer trench coat and a string of pearls.
But her eyes were cold, calculating, and completely devoid of any maternal love.
"Hello, Maya," she said calmly, keeping the weapon pointed at Mr. Vance's chest.
"Mom, what are you doing?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"I am cleaning up your father's mess, as usual," she replied with a heavy sigh.
She held out her left hand, gesturing toward the book I was clutching.
"Give me the ledger, Maya."
"If you give it to her, they will kill us both," Mr. Vance warned me, his hands raised in surrender.
My mother let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
"Don't be dramatic, Arthur," she snapped.
"I'm not going to kill my own daughter, I just need the accounts to pay off the debt."
I looked at the woman who had ignored my frantic calls from the hospital while Grandma was dying.
"You let Grandma die so you could get this money," I realized aloud.
My mother didn't even flinch.
"Ruth was old, and her heart was failing anyway," she said coldly.
"Her death was just a convenient timeline for our financial recovery."
Disgust washed over me, replacing my fear with pure, unadulterated anger.
I held the ledger tightly against my chest.
"I will never give this to you," I stated firmly.
My mother's fake patience vanished in an instant.
She cocked the pistol and aimed it directly at my face.
"I brought you into this world, Maya, and I have no problem taking you out of it."
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the bathroom behind me.
May you like
The frosted glass window shattered inward, and a flash grenade rolled onto the carpet.
"Close your eyes!" an unfamiliar voice screamed from the alleyway.
