Frederick stood there with nothing to say. He turned to me, expecting me to explain, to smooth things over. I didn't say a word. Instead, I pulled out the divorce papers I'd had drawn up long ago.
"From this moment on, your problems are no longer mine. Consider this your official notice: you're leaving this marriage with nothing."
My parents' assets were now entirely in my name. Everything they'd handed over to Agatha had been clawed back by force. All those two would inherit were the loan shark debts Agatha had racked up.
The divorce agreement gave me the lion's share of Frederick's wealth as well.
Within seconds the room erupted. Frederick demanded to know how long Agatha had been lying to him. My parents grabbed Frederick, shouting about why they were drowning in debt. Agatha crumbled, clutching her head and sobbing, unable to get a single word out.
What had been a picture-perfect family dinner dissolved into chaos. I watched them shove and scream and point fingers, each one blaming the others, and all I felt was a quiet, bone-deep satisfaction.