Apparently, they borrowed a huge amount of money from him right after they left North Carolina, some investment scheme, something about cryptocurrency, and it collapsed. He wants everything back with interest, and they don’t have it. I sat on my porch watching the sun filter through the trees. My fiance’s cousin works at the courthouse in Charlotte, Amy continued. The whole thing’s a mess. Nathan tried to run again, bought a plane ticket to Costa Rica, but Bradley’s lawyers got a freeze on his passport. He’s stuck. And Karine, she paused. Karine’s been living in a motel off I77 for the past 2 months. Credit cards maxed out. Can’t even afford a lawyer. Good.
Amy was quiet for a moment. I thought you’d want to know. I did, thanks. I hung up and sat there for a while thinking. Nathan, who’d charmed his way through life, trapped in a country he was trying to flee. Karine, who’d spent her whole life chasing other people’s money, finally running out of people to take from. I waited to feel something. Triumph, maybe satisfaction. What I felt was tired, but also underneath that, something else. Something that felt like the ground finally being solid under my feet.
The next spring, Karine found me. I came home from work to see a rental car in my driveway. She was leaning against it, arms crossed, looking at my house. She was thinner than the last time I’d seen her. Her clothes were expensive but worn. There were lines around her eyes that hadn’t been there before. Maggie, she said. Hi. I didn’t stop walking toward my front door. What are you doing here? I came to talk. Can we go inside? No.
She blinked. No. Whatever you came here to say, you can say it from there. For a long moment, she just looked at me. I could see her adjusting her approach. Fine. She took a step closer. I know you’ve heard about the situation with Bradley, about the lawsuit. I’ve heard enough. Then you know I’m in trouble. Real trouble. Her voice dropped softer, pleading. I made mistakes, Maggie. I know that. But I never meant for any of this to happen. Nathan, he manipulated me just like he manipulated you. I was a victim, too.
I almost laughed. You were a victim. It’s true. He saw how vulnerable I was after Bradley left. And he stop. I held up my hand. I’m not doing this. Doing what? The speech. The tearful apology where you explain how everything was someone else’s fault. I’ve seen you do this to everyone in your life. You did it to Bradley. You did it to dad for years.
Her face went still. You don’t know anything about that. I know everything about it. I’ve read his letters, all of them. I’ve talked to his lawyer. I took a step toward her. I know you showed up with a new crisis every few months until he finally cut you off. I know that’s why you came after Nathan. You knew about the will. You knew the inheritance was coming to me. And you thought if you couldn’t have the money, you’d at least make sure I didn’t get to enjoy it.
That’s not. And when you realized I’d still get it anyway, you took what you could and ran, thinking it would be enough. I shook my head. But it’s never enough, is it? Because you don’t know how to build anything, Karine. You only know how to take. She was crying now, or trying to cry. Her eyes stayed dry.
