By morning, Caleb had decided fear would solve everything. At breakfast, he sat comfortably with his coffee while Mia stood near the stove hiding a split lip beneath makeup. Then Richard and Vanessa Voss arrived, summoned like lawyers preparing a defense.
Vanessa offered Mia a cold smile and blamed motherhood for the tension. Richard looked at me with open contempt and claimed Caleb had told them I was unstable. They wanted everyone to believe I was simply a grieving, emotional mother-in-law causing problems.
Richard slid a folder across the counter. Inside was a nondisclosure agreement, a fifty-thousand-dollar check, and a demand that I leave immediately. Caleb smiled as though he had already won.
I quietly agreed to pack my bags. Mia looked heartbroken, Caleb looked victorious, and none of them realized I had already begun planning their downfall-
