Natty pulled up her laptop and showed him screenshots of conversations between Ashley Chen and Jessica.
“She was using you, Dad. She has another boyfriend, Richard Blackwood. She was planning to take your money and disappear with him to California. She called you a desperate old man who was easy to manipulate.”
Libby added, reading directly from the screen.
“She said, ‘Older married men always think they’re getting a young girlfriend, but really they’re just being used for their money.’”
I watched Brandon’s face crumble as he realized the depth of his betrayal and stupidity. He’d destroyed his family for a woman who was playing him just as badly as he’d been playing me.
“This is impossible,” he whispered. “Jessica loves me. She told me so.”
“Jessica loves money,” Natty said bluntly. “And now that Richard dumped her because of you and you’ve lost your job, she has no use for either of you.”
Brandon slumped in his chair, looking older than I’d ever seen him.
“What do you want from me?”
The girls looked at each other, then at me. We discussed this part earlier after they told me everything.
“We want you to leave,” I said simply. “Tonight. Pack your things and go.”
“This is my house, too,” he protested weakly.
“Actually, it’s not,” Libby said, pulling out a folder of documents. “Mom’s name is the only one on the mortgage. You signed a quick claim deed 5 years ago when we refinanced. Remember? You said it would be better for taxes.”
Brandon stared at the papers, realizing another way his own decisions had trapped him.
“We’ve already contacted a lawyer,” Natty continued. “We have enough evidence to press charges for theft, fraud, and embezzlement. But we’re willing to make a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” Brandon asked suspiciously.
“You sign divorce papers giving Mom everything,” Libby explained. “You give up all parental rights to us. You agree to leave town and never contact any of us again. In exchange, we don’t press criminal charges.”
“You can’t be serious,” Brandon said, looking at me desperately. “Claire, they’re just kids. You can’t let them destroy our family like this.”
I looked at this man who had been my husband for 20 years, who had fathered my children, who had shared my bed and my dreams, and I felt nothing but disgust.
“You destroyed our family the moment you decided Jessica was worth more than your daughters’ futures,” I said quietly. “The girls didn’t destroy anything. They saved what was left.”
Brandon sat in silence for a long moment, then slowly nodded.
“Fine. I’ll sign your papers, but don’t expect me to disappear forever. Those are my daughters, too.”
“Actually,” Natty said with a sweet smile, “we’re hoping you will disappear forever. Because if you ever try to contact us again, we’ll release everything. The recordings, the emails, the evidence of your theft. We’ll make sure everyone in this town knows exactly what kind of man you really are.”
Brandon looked at each of us in turn, seeing no sympathy anywhere. He’d gambled everything on a woman who was using him, and he’d lost.
“I’ll pack tonight,” he said finally, standing up slowly. “I’ll be gone by morning.”
As he walked toward the stairs, Libby called after him.
“Dad, next time you want to steal from your family, maybe don’t use the same password for everything.”
The front door closed behind Brandon at 6:23 a.m. I watched from the kitchen window as he loaded his car with the few belongings we’d allowed him to take. He looked back at the house once, but I didn’t wave.
Three months later, the divorce was final. The college fund was restored and earning interest. Libby got into Stanford with a partial scholarship and Natty was accepted to MIT with a full ride for her computer science skills. We never heard from Brandon again, though I sometimes wondered if he ever found out that Jessica had moved to California with Richard after all, using the money she’d saved from her relationship with him.
As for my daughters, they started a blog called Teen Justice, where they help other young people deal with family crises and betrayal. They’ve helped dozens of kids protect themselves from manipulative adults. I’m proud of them in ways I never expected to be. They showed me that sometimes the people who love you most are the ones willing to fight the hardest to protect you. And sometimes justice comes from the most unexpected
