Vivian rushed to speak. “Edward, there must be some kind of mistake. A banking error—”
“There is no mistake,” Grandpa snapped. “The funds went into an account under Mark’s name. One Claire was never allowed to access.”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
I turned slowly to my husband. “Is it true?” I asked. “Did you hide that money from me?”
Mark didn’t look at me.
“Claire,” he said stiffly, “things were complicated. We had expenses.”
“Expenses?” I let out a short, broken laugh. “I worked two jobs while pregnant. You made me feel guilty for buying anything full price. You told me we were barely getting by.”
My voice shook. “And all this time, you had that much money?”
Vivian jumped in defensively. “You don’t understand how expensive appearances are. Mark has a reputation to maintain.”
“Enough,” Grandpa roared. “You stole more than eight million dollars.”
That was when Mark finally exploded.
“Yes, I took it,” he shouted. “I deserved it. Claire wouldn’t understand what real success looks like.”
The room went silent.
My grandfather took one step forward.
“You will pack your belongings today,” he said coldly. “Claire and the baby are coming with me. And you will repay every dollar. My lawyers are already prepared.”
Tears streamed down my face—not just from pain, but from the sudden release of truth. Mark looked at me then, panic replacing his arrogance.
“Claire,” he whispered, “you wouldn’t take our daughter away from me.”
I looked down at my baby, then back at the man I thought I knew.
And I realized my answer would change everything.
