Gregory’s letter went to Linda by certified mail and email on the following Monday. It was three pages long. It was firm, calm, and polite, and it was very clear.
Linda called David forty minutes after the email arrived. He didn’t answer. She called eleven more times that afternoon, and he didn’t answer any of those either.
That night at nine o’clock, she called again. This time, he picked up.
“How could you do this to me?” Linda was sobbing. “A lawyer? You sent a lawyer after your own mother? After everything I gave up for you?”
“Mom,” David said quietly, “you lied to me to get my money. You let me sign a contract for thirty-six thousand dollars without telling me you were moving. You let me cancel my anniversary trip with my wife. And you were going to sell the house and keep everything.”
“I was going to pay you back!”
“When?”
She didn’t answer.
“The letter doesn’t ask for anything unfair,” David said. “Just the $11,400 back from the sale, and for you to take over the contract so I’m not on the hook for your kitchen. That’s all. You’ll still have plenty of money for your condo in Naples.”
“And if I don’t sign?”
David closed his eyes. I’d never seen him look so tired.
“Then I’ll file a lawsuit, Mom. And the buyers will find out when the title search comes back.”
There was a long silence on the line.
“I don’t even know who you are anymore,” Linda said finally.
“I think,” David said, “that’s the first time you’ve ever really looked.”
Ethan Blake is a skilled Creative Content Specialist with a talent for crafting engaging and thought-provoking narratives. With a strong background in storytelling and digital content creation, Ethan brings a unique perspective to his role at TheArchivists, where he curates and produces captivating content for a global audience.
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