When my son-in-law asked for a divorce, he looked at my daughter and said, “I want the house, the cars, the bank account… except our son,” and while his lawyer smiled as if he had already won, mine begged me to fight, but I just clutched the purse where I carried a document he had forgotten years ago, and told my daughter, “Give him everything.”

She loved him when my husband George and I emptied our life savings to help him build his construction firm because he swore it was the future of the family. George was still alive back then and he trusted people far too much, but I was always the one who looked for the fine print.

The day we handed over the money, I made Garrett sign every single page and every protective condition while he thanked us with moist eyes and a humble voice. He signed those papers with a smile like a man who believed he would always find a way to escape his obligations later on.

I kept a original copy of that contract and hid it in a place where even the passage of time could not touch the ink. The years did what they always do by revealing the ugly truths that infatuation usually hides from a young woman in love.

First, Garrett stopped coming home early and then he stopped offering any explanations for his long absences. He began speaking to Mallory in a cold tone that leaves no bruises on the skin but creates deep scars on the human soul.