Chapter 5 - Turning the Tables
We sat William down at our kitchen table, offering him a hot cup of coffee. He looked around our modest, cozy home—so different from the cold, museum-like mansion he shared with Margaret.
"I didn't know," William began, his hands clasped tightly around the mug. "Andrew, I swear to God, I didn't know she was raiding the trust. I trusted Margaret to manage the family accounts. I was too busy with the firm, too busy trying to keep the peace."
"Ignorance isn't an excuse, Dad," Andrew said, his voice firm but lacking the sharp edge he used on his mother. "You let her run roughshod over everyone for decades. You let her treat Khloe like a second-class citizen."
"I know," William whispered, looking down at his hands. "And I will regret that for the rest of my life. I let my wife bully my own son and granddaughter because it was easier than fighting her. But when I saw those bank statements... when I saw the sheer scale of the theft..." He shook his head. "I spent the night with my lawyers. And I brought this."
He pushed the manila envelope toward Andrew.
"What is this?" Andrew asked.
"It’s a full forensic disclosure of Margaret's personal assets, and my own," William said. "And a copy of the divorce petition I am filing on Monday."
I gasped. Andrew’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Divorce?" Andrew asked. "Dad, you've been married forty years."
"And for thirty of those years, I’ve been married to a woman I no longer recognize," William said, a newfound resolve hardening his features. "I won't let her drag my family's name into a criminal trial without making it clear where I stand. I’m also stepping down as co-trustee and nominating you, Andrew, to take full control of the Grandchildren’s Trust."
He looked at me, then at Andrew. "The trust will be fully replenished. I am personally transferring $250,000 from my private accounts into Khloe's trust tomorrow morning, plus interest. And I will cooperate fully with the state attorney's investigation into Margaret and Britney."
"And Britney?" Andrew asked. "She’s your daughter."
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"She’s also an adult who willingly participated in fraud," William said sadly. "She will have to face the consequences. She’ll have to sell the Mercedes. She’ll have to downsize. It’s time she learned how to live on what she actually earns."
As William spoke, I saw a massive weight lift from Andrew’s shoulders. The father he had spent his life trying to please, the man who had always chosen neutrality over justice, had finally chosen him.
