CHAPTER 5
As the police car sped away with my eldest son sitting in the back seat, Samantha remained standing on the driveway, surrounded by her luxury shopping bags.
She looked at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of terror, anger, and embarrassment, realizing her dream of living in a Newport Beach mansion had vanished in seconds.
"Lillian... please," Samantha pleaded, her voice trembling. "I had no idea he was doing anything illegal. He lied to me about everything! He told me you wanted us to take over the house!"
"You knew exactly what he was doing, Samantha," I said, looking at her oversized designer sunglasses and expensive diamond necklace. "You didn't marry my son because you loved him; you married him because you thought he was the heir to my fortune."
"That's not true!" she protested, but her eyes darted away, unable to hold my gaze.
"Marcus," I said, turning to the security manager. "Please escort this woman outside the gates and make sure her car is towed if it isn't removed in ten minutes."
"Right away, Mrs. Morales," Marcus replied, stepping forward with a firm look that left no room for argument.
I turned my back on Samantha, walking through the grand iron gates that led to my private sanctuary, feeling the heavy burden of forty years lifting off my shoulders.
I walked up the stone pathway, past the blooming white roses and the Italian marble fountain, entering the quiet elegance of the home I had sacrificed everything to build.
May you like
My phone rang in my pocket, and when I looked at the caller ID, my heart felt a warm spark of comfort in the middle of this heartbreaking storm.
It was Julian calling from Madrid.
