Vivian froze at first. Her suitcases slid lightly into her arms.
Mark’s smile faded from his face as his gaze shifted from me to my grandfather and then to the expression on my face.
The grandfather’s voice cut through the silence like a knife.
—Mark… Vivian… can I ask you something?
—His tone was calm, but terribly sharp—.
Where is the money I’ve been sending my granddaughter?
Mark swallowed hard.
Vivian blinked rapidly, pressing her lips together as if searching for an excuse.
The air became denser around us.
I squeezed my newborn tighter. My hands were trembling.
“Money?” Mark finally stammered. “Money what?”
The grandfather straightened up, his face red with a fury I had never seen in him before.
“Don’t play dumb. Claire hasn’t received a single penny. Not a single dollar. And I think I’ve just figured out why.”
The room fell silent.
Even the baby stopped complaining.
And then Grandpa said something that sent a chill down my spine:
Did you really think I wouldn’t find out what you’ve been doing?
The tension in the room became so intense that I couldn’t breathe.
Mark’s fingers tightened around the shopping bags.
Vivian looked towards the door, as if she were calculating her escape.
The grandfather took a slow step towards them.
“For three years,” he said, “I’ve been sending money to help Claire build a future. A future they promised to protect.”
And yet…” Her gaze fell upon the designer handbags. “Instead, it seems they’ve built a future for themselves.”
Vivian tried it first.
“Edward, this must be some misunderstanding. Surely the bank…”
“Stop,” snapped the grandfather. “The bank statements come directly to me. Every last cent was deposited into an account in Mark’s name. An account Claire had no access to.”
My stomach turned.
I turned to Mark.
Is that true? Did you hide money from me?
He clenched his jaw, refusing to look me in the eyes.
“Claire, listen, things were difficult and we needed…”
“Was it difficult?” I almost laughed, even though my heart was breaking. “I worked two jobs while pregnant. You made me feel guilty every time I bought food that wasn’t on sale. And you…?”
My voice cracked. “Were you earning a quarter of a million dollars a month?”
