I smiled at Derek the way I used to when he lied about homework. ‘Before I sign anything, sweetheart, let me get my reading glasses.’ I walked to the hallway, and from the drawer beneath the landline I pulled out a slim manila folder. Brittany’s smirk faltered. Derek’s eyes narrowed. ‘What’s that?’ ‘Just paperwork,’ I said. ‘Like yours.’
I laid it on the counter beside the cake. Inside were photographs — date-stamped, crisp — of Derek entering my house every Tuesday afternoon while I was at grief group. Photographs of him turning the stove knobs. Moving my keys into the freezer. Hiding my reading glasses inside the dishwasher. My neighbor Walter, a retired detective, had installed two small cameras the week after I told him about the ‘forgetting.’
Underneath the photos sat a letter from my attorney, Patricia Vance — the same woman who’d handled your father’s estate, Derek. The trust had been quietly restructured six months ago. The house, the savings, the lake cabin, all of it now sat inside an irrevocable trust naming Marlene’s grandchildren and the county literacy program as beneficiaries. Derek wasn’t on a single line.
Brittany’s face went the color of skim milk. Derek picked up a photo, then dropped it like it burned. ‘Mom — Mom, you don’t understand —’ ‘I understand perfectly,’ I said. ‘I understand my son tried to gaslight his grieving mother out of the home she built with his father. I understand your wife picked out granite samples on Pinterest for my kitchen last month. Patricia tracked the board.’
I slid the second envelope forward. ‘This one is a no-contact agreement. Sign it, and I don’t forward the photos to the district attorney for elder abuse and attempted fraud. Refuse, and Walter walks them over himself in the morning.’
Derek signed. His hand shook so badly Brittany had to steady the pen. They left without the cake.
I sat down at the table, cut myself a thick slice, and called Marlene. ‘It’s done,’ I said. She laughed softly. ‘Welcome back, Eleanor.’ For the first time in eleven months, I tasted the lemon.
