Chapter 12 - Linda Had Taught Derek That Love Solved Debt
Linda agreed to speak through attorneys after her voicemail became relevant.
She initially said:
“Scare her” was:
figurative.
Maybe she had not expected:
physical violence.
I believed that.
She still said:
it.
Why?
Because Linda had spent decades equating financial sacrifice with:
love.
When Arthur’s insurance business struggled, she used:
inheritance
to cover payroll.
When Derek’s first company failed at twenty-seven, she withdrew:
$40,000
from investments.
When his consulting firm struggled, she borrowed against:
her home.
Each rescue created:
gratitude
temporarily.
Then expectation.
Linda did not think:
I want Emily abused.
She thought:
Emily has money.
Derek is about to become her husband.
Therefore refusing to stabilize him is:
selfish.
During one mediated conversation she told me:
“You could have solved everything.”
I asked:
“What?”
“The line.”
“My guaranty?”
“Yes.”
“With what collateral if it failed?”
She hesitated.
“The condo?”
There.
My home.
I said:
“You wanted me to risk my home to repair debt Derek hid from me.”
Linda answered:
“Families take risks for each other.”
I said:
“Families disclose the risk first.”
She had no response.
Understanding her history made:
sense.
It did not make her entitled to:
May you like
my balance sheet.
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