Chapter 4: Shifting Stories

Seeing she couldn’t explain, my stepmom got anxious and immediately dropped the act with me:

“What do you mean, I took it for myself? I don’t know anything about that!”

“Ryan, do you have any conscience? Your sister and brother-in-law just died, and the first thing you think of is insurance!”

Bang, bang, bang—

She turned and pounded on the neighbor’s door in fury:

“Mrs. Carter, come out and see what it means to be heartless!”

Mrs. Carter, awakened by the commotion, came out looking groggy.

My stepmom grabbed Mrs. Carter’s arm and pointed at me viciously:

“It’s him! His sister and brother-in-law died in a car accident, and all he cares about is insurance!”

As she spoke, she shot Mrs. Carter a look.

Mrs. Carter and my stepmom are usually in cahoots. Seeing the signal, Mrs. Carter immediately started attacking me:

Saying I was ungrateful, that after my sister and brother-in-law died, I wasn’t thinking about raising my niece, just about money.

She even threatened to ruin my reputation throughout the apartment complex.

I shot back: “If you lost a family member—especially in an accident—shouldn’t you seek accountability first?”

“So, Mrs. Carter, are you such a saint that if someone killed your family, you’d just let it go?”

“What good is your gossip? I’m not afraid of you. I’m just seeking justice for my sister and brother-in-law, and for my niece!”

My stepmom and Mrs. Carter were left speechless and red-faced by my rebuttal. I could see the uncertainty flicker between them—Mrs. Carter’s fingers nervously twisting the charm bracelet on her wrist.

Just then, Mrs. Carter suddenly asked my stepmom what kind of car accident it was.

The two exchanged glances, and my stepmom, as if receiving a cue, slapped her forehead:

“Oh, my memory! How could I forget!”

“Ryan, what nonsense are you talking about? Your sister and brother-in-law weren’t hit by a truck—they drove off a cliff and their car sank into the lake and can’t be found!”