“I would burn the entire education board to the ground before I let that man own us. Do you really think I’d keep your father from you? HE left. Not me.”
Something shifted in Liam’s eyes.
“Mom… then what do we do?”
“We agree,” I said. “And then we expose him.”
For illustrative purposes only
The morning of the banquet, I picked up another shift.
I needed to stay busy.
The boys sat in a booth, studying.
“You don’t have to stay,” I told them.
“We want to, Mom,” Noah said.
Then the bell rang.
Evan walked in like he owned the place.
Designer coat. Perfect smile.
He sat across from them.
I approached with coffee.
“I didn’t order that rubbish, Rachel,” he said.
“You didn’t have to,” I replied. “You’re here to make a deal.”
“You always did have a sharp… tongue, Rachel,” he chuckled.
“We’ll do it. The banquet. Everything. But I’m doing this for my sons.”
“Of course you are.”
He grabbed a muffin, tossed down five dollars.
“See you tonight, family. Wear something nice.”
“He’s loving this,” Noah muttered.
“Let him,” I said.
That evening, we arrived together.
I wore navy.
Liam fixed his cuffs.
Noah’s tie was crooked—on purpose.
Evan smiled wide.
