Chapter 4

His words hung in the air between us, heavy and suffocating. I looked at the man in front of me, the man I had raised, and I saw a complete stranger. The soft, loving boy I knew was gone. In his place was this creature of pure, unadulterated greed, his eyes filled with a hatred that I had never seen before.

My mind splintered, flashing through three decades of memories.

Me, working a night shift at the diner after a full day at the library, my feet throbbing, just to afford the brand-name sneakers he had to have.

Me, selling the last piece of my grandmother' s jewelry, a delicate gold bracelet, to pay for his tuition at a private university because he said the state school wasn' t good enough.

Me, cashing in my retirement savings early-taking a huge penalty-to give him and Jessica the down payment for their sprawling suburban house, a house much bigger than mine. I wanted him to have a better start than I did.

I did all of it. I did it joyfully, without a second thought, because he was my son. My everything.

And he was now telling me I had held him back. That I was selfish.

The pain was so immense it became a strange, hollow numbness. The world tilted, and for a moment, I felt nothing at all.

"Fine," I heard myself say. My voice was eerily calm. "If that' s how you feel, then we' re done."

David stared at me, his angry expression faltering into confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I am no longer your mother," I said, each word a stone dropping into a deep well. "And you are no longer my son. We are strangers."

Panic flashed in his eyes. It wasn't the panic of a son losing his mother. It was the panic of a gambler who just saw the dealer sweep away all his chips.

"Mom, stop it. Don' t be so dramatic," he said, trying to force a laugh. "You' re just upset. I get it. I' m sorry, okay? I shouldn' t have said that."

"But you did," I said. "You meant it. I heard you last night."

His face went pale. "What... what did you hear?"

"I heard everything, David. You and Jessica. At Daniel' s house. I know you weren' t stuck in traffic."

He was speechless. He just stood there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

"You' re right," I continued, the calmness in my voice frightening even myself. "You should have been raised by Daniel. You should have been a Hayes. You clearly feel you belong with them. So go. Be with them."

Just then, Jessica came back inside, her face impatient. "David, what' s taking so long? Noah' s getting fussy."

David looked at her, then back at me, his mind racing. He was cornered. And like a cornered animal, he chose to attack.

He took a deep breath and lifted his chin. "You know what? You' re right, Mom. I do belong with them. In fact, Jessica and I have been talking. We' re going to have Noah' s last name legally changed. To Hayes."

He said it to hurt me. It was the final, twisting of the knife. To erase me completely.

"He should have the name that reflects his real heritage," David added, his voice dripping with false concern for his son. "It' s what' s best for his future."

I almost laughed. It was so pathetic, so transparent. He wasn' t thinking about Noah' s future. He was thinking about his own.

"That' s a wonderful idea," I said, and I smiled. A real, genuine smile. The feeling of release was intoxicating. "I think you should do that. Noah Hayes. It has a nice ring to it."

Jessica smirked, thinking she had won. "See, David? Your mother understands. She just wants what' s best for you." She looked at me. "It' s not about the money, Sarah. It' s about family."

"Oh, I know," I said. "And since we are no longer family, you don' t have to worry about my money. I' ll make sure it goes to people who actually appreciate it. You, David, and your wife will not see another penny from me. Not now, not ever. Consider yourself disinherited."

The smirk vanished from Jessica' s face. David' s eyes were wide with horror.

"You can' t do that," he stammered. "That' s my money. My inheritance."

"It was never your money," I said softly. "It was mine. And I can do whatever I want with it."

"You... you old bitch!" Jessica shrieked, her mask of civility finally shattering. "You' d rather give it to charity than your own family? Your own grandson?"

"He' s not my grandson anymore," I said, turning my back on them. "He' s a Hayes now. Let his real grandfather pay for his game consoles."

I walked to the front door and opened it. "Please leave my house."

David was still sputtering, trying to find the words to fix this, to claw back the fortune he saw slipping through his fingers. But Jessica, ever the pragmatist, grabbed his arm.

"Let' s go, David," she hissed, pulling him toward the door. As they stepped onto the porch, I heard her whisper to him, loud enough for me to hear.

"Don' t worry. She' s old. She has cancer. She can' t take the money with her. We' ll get it in the end, one way or another."

I closed the door on their shocked faces, a cold smile on my lips.

They were about to find out just how wrong they were.