Chapter 2

The next day, the phony invitation came right on cue.

It was Valda calling, her voice dripping with sweetness, like she wasn't the one fanning the flames on the phone just yesterday.

"Come over for dinner this weekend. I bought you a new dress, it's super cute," Valda cooed.

I leaned back on the couch, trimming my nails, rough from years of housework, while listening to her act on the phone.

I sneered to myself. The prelude to an ambush dinner was always dripping with fake warmth.

"Philip was just really stressed at work yesterday, so don't take it personally. He's just looking out for you.

"The family allowance card is for you to buy some nice things and show off a little, not to 'waste money' at places like the slum. If Philip's friends saw you there, it'd be so embarrassing for him," Valda said.

She put extra emphasis on "waste money," like she was reminding me, or giving me charity.

I brushed the nail dust off my fingers and answered, my voice cool and even.

"Sure, I actually have something I want to talk to you about too," I said.

Valda hesitated for a split second, clearly not expecting me to agree so quickly. Then she slipped right back into that syrupy tone. "Alright then. We'll be waiting for you."

After I hung up, I stared at my phone screen, a mocking smile curling at my lips.

Waiting for me?

Oh, you should wait. I've got a little surprise all planned out just for you.

Soon, my sister Wendy's call came in.

Her voice was practically crackling with anger.

"Irene! Have you lost your mind? You're really going? Those two snakes are obviously up to something. If you go, you're just asking to be humiliated," Wendy snapped.

She was always way more fiery than me, and she couldn't stand Philip or Valda.

I tried to reassure her. "Don't worry. This time, I'm not going there to take their crap."

I paused, staring out at the bright sunlight, making sure every word landed. "I'm going to bring them a little 'surprise.'"

I opened the old locked drawer in my study and took out an encrypted USB drive.

On that drive was every record of my investments and proof of assets from the years after my husband Cedric died.

Stocks, mutual funds, overseas real estate, trusts...

All these years, I'd been acting like the thrifty widow, while secretly using the money everyone thought was from a failed business deal Cedric left me, making waves in the financial world.

Philip thought his dad's business had crashed and burned, leaving us with nothing but a pile of debt and this beat-up old house.

He had no clue just how shrewd Cedric really was.

That so-called "failure"? It was just Cedric pulling a fast one; he made sure the real cash was tucked away for me, nice and secure, while everyone else thought we were flat broke.

I called my lawyer, Maxwell Sutton.

He was Cedric's most trusted friend back when he was alive.

On the phone, I grilled him about everything: prenup assets, gifts, inheritance.

Maxwell was quiet for a long time before finally saying, "Irene, Cedric was right about you. You finally figured it out."

Wendy immediately picked up on the shift in my tone. After I reassured her again and again, I finally told her straight up that I'd stopped paying the mortgage.

She was stunned for a second, then burst out in triumphant shouts.

"Irene! That's brilliant. You should've done this ages ago. Those two bloodsuckers deserve to know what it's like to be flat broke!" Wendy's anger burned away any hesitation I had left.

I looked out the window at the neighbor's cat, lounging lazily on the wall, soaking up the sun.

This time, I wasn't going to put up with it anymore.

My kindness and patience weren't just doormats for them to stomp on.

*****

On the weekend, I turned up as promised. I deliberately wore my washed-out old shirt and a pair of gray pants, the same outfit I always wore at home.

The moment Valda opened the door, her painted-on smile instantly froze when she saw what I was wearing.

The look of disdain and contempt in her eyes flashed by, but it was like a tiny needle, stabbing right into my skin.

"Mom, you're here! Come on in," Valda put on her best hostess act, voice oozing with fake warmth.

She looped her arm around mine in an over-the-top gesture, yanking me inside like she was terrified my "cheap vibes" might somehow contaminate her expensive leather couch.