My father was not just an old man who had lost his edge. He was a man who had built a massive construction empire from nothing but a single truck and a strong work ethic. He had survived treacherous business partners and the devastating loss of my mother, yet Mark believed he could simply use him as a bank.
Even worse than the financial theft was the fact that he believed he could use my own heart as a weapon against my father. I did not hang up the phone because I wanted to hear every single detail of their treachery. I kept listening with a heart that had turned into stone while they discussed bank accounts and legal documents.
Mark mentioned a signature that he needed from me on Monday morning at a law office in the Uptown district. He told Lydia that he would convince me to sign by saying it was for family reasons. He never intended to explain that my signature would grant him temporary control over the trust fund my mother had left for me.
When the call finally ended, the silence in my kitchen felt like a heavy weight that was trying to crush me. I slowly bent down to pick up the fallen can from the floor and I saw my distorted reflection in the polished metal. Then I picked up the phone again and dialed the one person who had always protected me.
My father answered the call in his usual calm and steady voice that always made me feel safe. “What happened, honey, is everything alright at home?” he asked. I took a deep and shaky breath before I forced the words out of my mouth.
“Dad, I need you to help me ruin Mark’s life,” I said with a voice that was surprisingly firm. There was a long silence on the other end of the line as my father processed my request. “Send me everything you have and do not say a single word to him yet,” he finally replied.
That night, Mark arrived home with a bouquet of flowers and kissed me on the forehead as if he were the perfect husband. I stood there and accepted his touch even though it made my skin crawl with disgust. I already knew that what was coming for him was irreversible and that his world was about to end.
The worst part was that I had not even heard the most disgusting part of his plan yet. I could not believe the level of cruelty that was about to be revealed as I began my own investigation.
