Chapter 4 - The Coffee Cup
The question hung in the air, heavy and inescapable.
Natalie looked up, her brown eyes widening in sheer confusion. She loved to draw more than anything in the world. She had been begging for a digital drawing tablet all year, but Dana had repeatedly told her it was "too expensive for a child."
Mason, who had been excitedly booting up his new gaming console, suddenly stopped. He lowered his new wireless controller, his initial excitement completely dying as he looked nervously between his mother and his step-grandmother. Even a 12-year-old boy could feel the terrifying shift in the room's energy.
Adam finally stopped staring into his coffee. His head snapped up.
He looked at his mother, Ruth, who was staring down Dana with lethal intensity. Then, Adam slowly turned his head toward his wife. The cowardly avoidance was gone, replaced by sudden, genuine shock.
"Dana," Adam said, his voice dropping to a low, tense register. "Where did Mom’s money go?"
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Dana froze. She was still holding a piece of crumpled wrapping paper, but her practiced, confident smile completely disappeared.
👉 What dark financial secret has Dana been hiding from her husband all this time?
