Chapter 8 - Rebuilding from the Ashes
I sold my mother’s house three weeks later for a massive profit. I used the funds to set up a fully funded college trust fund for Charlotte.
As for Kendra's party-planning business, I hired a brilliant, young, and hungry manager to run it, turning it into a thriving local agency. Kendra stayed on as a junior designer, working twice as hard for a fraction of the pay she used to enjoy, finally learning what a hard day's work actually meant. She could no longer afford her luxury SUV or her lavish vacations. She and Nora moved into a modest two-bedroom apartment.
My mother had to downsize to a small, senior-living studio. Without my bankroll, she could no longer pretend to be the wealthy matriarch. Her country club friends slowly drifted away when she could no longer afford the dues.
But I didn't care about their misery. I cared about our peace.
One Saturday afternoon, Charlotte and I were baking cookies in our new, sun-drenched kitchen. The flour was everywhere, and Charlotte was laughing, her face covered in white powder.
"Look, Mommy! I made a flour dragon!" she giggled, holding up a misshapen piece of dough.
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"It’s beautiful, sweetie," I said, hugging her close.
There was no one to tell her she was being too loud. There was no one to tell her to sit pretty. She was free to be exactly who she was.
