Chapter 14 - The Confrontation
An hour later, Ben arrived at my house. He didn't come to the door; he sat on the curb outside, sobbing into his hands.
I walked out to the edge of the lawn, keeping ten yards between us.
“You lost your job,” I said.
Ben looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his face swollen. “Claire... please. David fired me. He said he’s going to prosecute if I don't pay $62,000 by next month. Vanessa won’t even answer my calls! She locked her doors! She blames me because the music academy officially canceled Jonah’s enrollment this morning!”
“She used you, Ben,” I said, feeling neither pity nor anger—only an immense, liberating clarity. “She used you for three years. And you were so desperate to be the heroic golden boy of the Miller family that you sacrificed your own wife and daughter to feed her ego.”
“I did it for family!” Ben cried, clawing at the grass. “Mom always told me I had to take care of Vanessa after her husband left! She said Jonah was our family’s only shot at greatness!”
“Lily was your family, Ben,” I said. “I was your family. But you signed a piece of paper that said our eight-year-old child didn't deserve to eat at her own table.”
“I’ll fix it! I’ll sign whatever you want! Just tell David not to put me in prison! Claire, please!”
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“Talk to your lawyer, Ben. I am done fixing your life.”
***
