Chapter 2 - The Trap Is Set
“You know what, Mom?” I said, my voice eerily calm as I stood up from the muddy grass and dusted off my knees. “I actually came home with some incredible news.”
My mother’s expression changed instantly. The cold, annoyed glare vanished, replaced by the calculating, rapacious gleam of a woman smelling money. Paige stopped tapping her phone, her eyes snapping up to meet mine with sudden, greedy interest.
“What kind of news?” Margaret asked, stepping closer, her voice smoothing out into an oily, affectionate tone she hadn’t used on me since I was a teenager.
“The Department of Defense finally processed my final discharge package and special deployment compensation,” I said, keeping my tone steady and casual. “Back pay, hazard differentials, and veteran investment dividends. It cleared this morning.”
Paige’s eyes widened so fast I thought they might pop out of her head. “How much, Leo? Don’t leave us hanging.”
“Nearly four hundred thousand dollars,” I lied smoothly, watching the twin greed flares light up in my mother and sister’s eyes.
Gwen let out a small, terrified gasp from the ground, but I didn't look at her. I kept my gaze locked on my mother.
“That’s... that’s life-changing,” Margaret breathed, her fingers clutching her gold necklace. “My boy. I always knew the military would finally recognize your true worth.”
“There’s just one catch,” I continued, stepping past Gwen without touching her again, walking right up to the edge of the patio where my mother stood. “The Department of Defense requires a formal financial audit to release the full lump sum into a civilian account. I have to prove that my primary residence and any existing investments are completely free of debt and registered under my immediate family’s name, with verifiable proof of local maintenance.”
Paige squealed, clapping her hands together. “We own this house outright! Well, technically Mom does on the paperwork, but we can transfer the title to you by tomorrow!”
“Exactly,” I nodded, playing the part of the ambitious, trusting soldier to perfection. “I just need to review the property deeds, bank statements, and local asset records tonight. I want to make sure everything matches the military’s digital registry before I submit the final verification codes.”
That was all it took. The bait was swallowed, hook, line, and sinker.
My mother immediately started talking about expanding the kitchen, building a second guest house, and landscaping the entire backyard with imported stone. Paige was already on her phone, loudly telling one of her friends about how they were going to buy another luxury truck and take a two-week shopping trip to Miami next month.
Vacations. Designer bags. Bigger plans. Endless luxury.
Not once—not a single time—did either of my family members look down at Gwen, who was still kneeling in the dirt, or ask why my wife looked like she could barely stand upright under her own weight.
“Go inside, Gwen,” Margaret snapped impatiently, waving a hand at her as if she were a stray dog tracking mud onto a pristine carpet. “And clean yourself up. We have dinner guests arriving in an hour, and I don't want you scaring the neighbors with that tragic-looking head of yours.”
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Gwen pushed herself up with shaking arms, her head bowed, and shuffled toward the back service entrance like a prisoner walking to the gallows.
I watched her go, my heart fracturing into jagged shards. But I didn't move. I smiled, nodded at my mother’s grand plans for spending money that didn't exist, and waited for the sun to finally dip below the horizon, plunging the grand, expensive illusion into darkness.
