I returned home unannounced after four years in Canada and found my wife with a shaved head, terribly thin and struggling alone in the backyard. My mother said she had sought that punishment herself. I didn't scream. Instead, I got my phone...

My mother looked around the room and smiled.

“Well. Have you already decided what we’re going to do with the money?”

“Yes,” I replied.

I placed several folders on the table.

People and society

Derek leaned forward.

“What is that?”

“Four years.”

His smile disappeared.

I opened the first folder.

Almost a hundred thousand dollars sent from Canada.

The second contained records showing how much of that money had actually reached Clara.

The third contained his own receipts.

The fourth was my lawyer's.

Vivian’s face began to change slowly.

“What is this?”

Foreign currency and currency exchange

I looked at her directly.

“You wanted to know what I’m going to do with the settlement money.”

No one spoke.

“First, Clara’s treatment will be completely covered.”

My mother nodded quickly.

“Of course. We all want that.”

“Second, I’m going to take Clara to a place where you’ll never control her again.”