“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” he exploded, jumping back to his feet. “The money is gone. Someone emptied the account Jessica and I opened. All of it. $230,000 just vanished.”
I tilted my head, pretending to be confused.
“That’s terrible. Have you called the police?”
“I can’t call the police,” he shouted. “The money was—”
“It was stolen?” I suggested helpfully. “From your family.”
Brandon’s face went through several different expressions as he realized the trap he’d walked into. He couldn’t report the money stolen without admitting he’d stolen it first.
“Claire, please,” he begged. “I know you took it. Just give it back and we can figure this out.”
“I didn’t take anything,” I said honestly. “I’ve been at work all day and I only found out about your affair this afternoon.”
“Then who?” he started to ask, then stopped. His eyes widened as he looked toward the staircase.
“The girls,” he whispered.
At that exact moment, Libby and Natty appeared at the top of the stairs in their pajamas, looking like innocent teenagers who’d been awakened by the shouting.
“Dad,” Libby called down sweetly. “Is everything okay? You’re being really loud.”
“What’s wrong?” Natty added, rubbing her eyes like she’d just woken up.
Brandon stared at his daughters, and I could see the exact moment he realized he’d been outplayed by two 17-year-olds.
“You,” he said slowly, pointing at them. “You did this.”
Both girls looked at each other with perfectly innocent expressions.
“Did what, Dad?” they asked in unison.
And that’s when Brandon completely lost control. Brandon’s face turned purple with rage as he stared at our daughters.
“You little—” he started, then caught himself. Even in his fury, he knew better than to say what he was thinking.
“Girls, come down here,” I said firmly. “I think it’s time we all had an honest conversation.”
Libby and Natty walked down the stairs with the calm confidence of people who held all the cards. They sat on the couch across from their father, looking like they were about to deliver a business presentation.
“Dad,” Libby began, her voice steady and mature, “we know everything. Every lie, every stolen dollar, every promise you made to Jessica about abandoning us.”
“We have recordings of your phone calls,” Natty added, pulling out her phone. “Screenshots of every email, bank records showing exactly when and how you stole from us.”
Brandon’s mouth opened and closed several times before he found his voice.
“You’ve been spying on me.”
“We’ve been protecting our family,” Libby corrected. “Someone had to, since you clearly weren’t going to.”
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” Brandon said, his voice shaking. “Jessica and I had plans. We were going to start over, build something beautiful together with our—”
“With our college money,” Natty said flatly. “Money Mom saved for 17 years while you pretended to be a loving father and husband.”
“And about Jessica,” Libby continued with a small smile, “you should know that she never planned to stay with you anyway.”
Brandon’s face went white.
“What are you talking about?”
