Chapter 2 - The Aftermath
The drive home was quiet. Sophie sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window. "Are they going to be okay?" she asked, her voice small.
"They have to face reality, Sophie," I replied. "Sometimes, the hardest part of the truth is realizing you’ve been protecting someone who doesn't deserve it."
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When I got home, my inbox was already flooded. Brian had tried to spin the story to the rest of the family—he’d claimed I had "hacked" his accounts and was trying to sabotage his career. He was desperate. But I had prepared for this for years. I sent a mass email to every relative who was at the barbecue, attaching the redacted but damning financial records. I didn't want revenge; I wanted the cycle to stop.
The next morning, I woke up to a notification: Brian’s house had been listed for foreclosure. The facade was completely stripped away, and for the first time in a decade, I didn't feel the weight of his secrets crushing my chest.
