Part 2
Daniel tried to laugh, but the sound came out wrong. “Mom, this is dramatic.”
“No,” I said. “Dramatic was humiliating me in front of my family after accepting a car and a purse.” FamilyConflict Resolution
Marissa dropped the envelope onto the coffee table as if it had burned her. “We were making a point. You’re always controlling everything with money.”
I looked at her new purse. “Then give it back.”
Her fingers tightened around the strap.
That was the first honest answer she had given all night.
My attorney, Louise Parker, had warned me months earlier that Daniel and Marissa were growing reckless with my help. They lived in the townhome I had bought before retiring, paying nothing in rent while telling people they were “saving for a house.” They drove vehicles I helped finance. They used my credit card for groceries during what Daniel called a temporary rough patch.
Temporary had stretched into two years.
The $150,000 down payment was meant to be my final push to help them become independent. Louise had prepared the gift documents, but she also prepared a cancellation letter after Marissa sent me a text saying, “Once we get the house money, we can set boundaries with your mom.” Gifts
She accidentally sent it to me instead of Daniel.
