Chapter 10 - The Shockwave Hits Brooklyn
Back in Manhattan, the reality of my departure was hitting the Reed household like a freight train.
By Sunday evening, my phone—though muted—was receiving frantic notification summaries of missed calls and voicemails from Carol and Jessica.
According to mutual acquaintances and a very panicked text from Michael before he left Westchester, Carol had marched over to Jessica’s apartment expecting Michael to wire the fifteen thousand dollars for Tony’s tuition immediately.
When Michael arrived empty-handed and delivered the news that I had been funding their lifestyle for years—and that the well was permanently dry—hell had broken loose.
Jessica had reportedly screamed at Michael for ruining her life, while Carol accused me of orchestrating an elaborate, malicious plot to destroy their family.
They still didn't understand. It wasn't a plot. It was simply what happened when you finally stopped paying the bills for people who spent every waking hour treating you like trash.
I set my phone face down on the bedside table, walked over to the window, and placed a gentle hand over my stomach.
May you like
The baby gave a tiny, reassuring flutter beneath my palm.
We were going to be just fine.
