Chapter 7 - The Mother's Complicity
The civil trial began three weeks later.
My parents sat on one side of the courtroom with Victor Cruz. Brandon sat next to them, his face pale, his eyes hollow.
I sat on the other side with Patricia and Grandpa.
The judge was a woman in her sixties with silver hair and sharp eyes. She had a reputation for being tough on financial crimes.
Patricia opened the case with a simple statement: "Your Honor, this is a case about theft. The defendants stole two hundred and twenty-four thousand dollars from my client's college fund. They used that money to commit fraud and launder money. And they did it all while smiling."
Victor Cruz objected. The judge overruled.
Patricia called Jessica to the stand. Jessica testified about the shell company. The gambling debts. The threats. The affair.
Then she testified about my mother.
"Mrs. Chen knew about the college fund," Jessica said. "She helped transfer the money. She signed the documents. She knew exactly what she was doing."
My mother's face went white.
Victor Cruz cross-examined Jessica for an hour, trying to discredit her. But Jessica was steady. She had evidence. She had receipts. She had text messages.
When she stepped down, the courtroom was silent.
Patricia called me to the stand.
I testified about the birthday dinner. My father's smirk. My mother's clapping. The bank statement.
I testified about the lies. The secrets. The years of being told to "be understanding" while Brandon got everything he wanted.
I testified about the moment I realized my parents didn't love me. They loved what I could give them.
When I finished, I looked at my mother. She was crying. But I didn't feel sorry for her.
Patricia called my father to the stand.
He was arrogant at first. Dismissive. He tried to explain away the evidence. He tried to blame Brandon. He tried to blame me.
But Patricia was relentless.
"Did you or did you not transfer two hundred and twenty-four thousand dollars from your daughter's college fund?" she asked.
"I was trying to help my son."
"Did you or did you not commit fraud?"
"I was protecting my family."
"Did you or did you not steal from your daughter?"
Silence.
"Answer the question, Mr. Chen."
"I did what I had to do."
The judge leaned forward. "That's not an answer."
My father looked at the judge. Then he looked at me. His eyes were filled with something I had never seen before.
Hatred.
"Yes," he said finally. "I took the money."
The courtroom erupted.
Victor Cruz objected. The judge banged her gavel. But the damage was done.
May you like
My father had confessed.
And there was no going back.
