Chapter 5 - Exposed to the World
Within hours, the quiet suburban neighborhood was alive with onlookers. Neighbors whom Margaret had looked down upon for years stood on their lawns, watching as movers hired by the county sheriff wheeled out the leather sofas, high-end electronics, and designer wardrobes she had purchased with my stolen pay.
Paige was screaming at the officers, trying to wrestle a designer bag out of a deputy's hands, only to be threatened with immediate arrest for obstruction of justice.
I pulled up to the curb in a plain rental sedan, stepping out calmly in my dress uniform.
Margaret rushed down the lawn, her silk robe dragging in the grass, tears smearing her makeup. "Ethan! Tell them to stop! What is the meaning of this horror? We are your family!"
"Family?" I asked, my voice echoing across the driveway so every neighbor could hear every word. "Family doesn't starve a dying woman. Family doesn't force a cancer patient into a closet, shave her head, and force her to sell her hair for thirty dollars just to buy a train ticket to a hospital."
Gasp of shock rippled through the gathering crowd of neighbors. Mrs. Higgins, who lived next door and had believed Margaret’s lies about Gwen being lazy, covered her mouth in absolute horror.
"She... she lied to you, Ethan!" Margaret stammered desperately, her hands shaking. "She was ungrateful! We gave her a place to stay!"
"You stole nearly one hundred thousand dollars of my military pay while I was taking sniper fire in the desert," I said, stepping closer, my voice cold as iron. "You bought silk and gold while my wife bled in a storage room. I gave you every chance to show an ounce of humanity, but you proved that you aren't family. You're predators."
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The investigator stepped forward, holding out a legal summons. "Margaret Vance and Paige Vance, you are hereby served with a formal order to vacate this property within forty-eight hours. The title has been reverted to the estate pending criminal asset forfeiture."
Paige burst into hysterical tears, sinking to her knees on the bare driveway as her luxury possessions were loaded onto the back of the county truck.
