I wanted to run after him, hug him, tell him everything would be okay, but I knew those words of comfort would now be like passing wind, unable to calm his pain.
That night I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. The faint moonlight filtered through the window, drawing weak lines on the ceiling. I thought of Michael, of all the years we had spent together, of the promise I had made to myself to protect him from all harm.
But now, it was the person he loved most who was breaking his heart. I felt helpless, as if all my years of struggle had been for nothing.
Finally thirsty, I got up, put on a light jacket, and walked to the kitchen. As I passed the bedroom of Jessica and Sarah, my little granddaughter, I heard a murmur. Jessica’s cold voice cut through the wooden door like a knife. «Sarah, listen carefully.»
«Tomorrow in court, if the judge asks, you have to say that your daddy can’t take care of you anymore. You have to say you don’t want to live with a sick person. Understand?»
Those words were like a dagger straight to my heart. I stood still, my hand gripping the glass, almost dropping it.
Sarah’s voice answered, weak and sobbing. «But I don’t want to lie, Mom. I love Daddy very much.» Her voice trembled, as if she was trying to hold on to the little love left in her innocent heart.
Jessica replied harshly, with no patience. «If you don’t obey me, you and I will lose everything. Do you want to live miserably with your poor grandmother and your invalid father?»
I was there, my heart tight, feeling as if someone was crushing my chest. The glass in my hand trembled, water spilling out. Jessica, whom I once considered a daughter, was now forcing her own eight-year-old daughter to lie, to betray her own father.
Rage consumed me, but along with it, an indescribable sorrow. Sarah, my granddaughter, whom I loved like my own blood, was being pushed by her mother into a cruel choice. Silently, I stepped back. I returned to my room before they could discover me.
Sitting on the bed, I covered my face with my hands, trying to hold back the tears that were streaming down. I thought of Michael, of how he used to carry Sarah on his shoulders, laughing as she pointed to the stars in the sky.
«Grandma, I want to be an astronaut,» Sarah had said, her eyes shining. Michael hugged her and whispered, «You’re going to make it, honey. Your daddy believes in you.»
Now Jessica wanted to take that love away, to turn Sarah into a piece in her plan. I couldn’t allow it. I couldn’t let my granddaughter grow up with lessons of lies and cruelty.
The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, I got up early and made breakfast as usual. Michael was still asleep, his face gaunt, his eyes sunken from so many sleepless nights. I watched him through the crack in the door, and the pain tore me apart.
But I knew that day I had to act, not just for Michael, but for Sarah, too. I called the girl to the backyard, where the orange tree loaded with fruit scented the air. Sarah came out with red eyes, her blue dress stained as if she had been crying all night.
I sat on the wooden bench and pulled her to sit next to me. «Honey,» I said in a soft voice. «Last night, I heard the conversation between you and your mom. You’re very scared, aren’t you?»
Sarah looked at me, her lips trembling, and suddenly she burst into tears, hugging me tightly. «Grandma, I don’t want to do that,» she sobbed. Her crying broke my soul. «I don’t want to leave Daddy. I don’t want to lie. I just want to be with Daddy and you.»
I hugged her tight, feeling her small shoulders shake in my arms. My tears fell silently, but I kept my voice firm. «Don’t be afraid, Sarah. Your grandma is here. You won’t have to lie to anyone. The truth is our most powerful weapon. Remember that.»
Sarah lifted her face. Her clear eyes, full of tears, looked at me intently. «But Mom says if I don’t do what she wants, she won’t let me see Daddy,» she whispered fearfully.
I dried her tears, my heart aching but full of determination. «Your mom is wrong,» I said with certainty. «No one can take you away from your daddy or your grandma. I promise you we will get through this, just like your daddy and I have overcome so many difficulties.»
Sarah nodded, squeezed my hand, and at that moment, I felt a new strength awaken in me. I was fighting not just for Michael, but also for my granddaughter, so she wouldn’t grow up surrounded by deceit and fear.
After overhearing the conversation between Jessica and Sarah, my heart burned with a fire of anger and pain. I couldn’t let my daughter-in-law turn my granddaughter into a pawn in her cruel plan, but I knew that hurtful words or direct confrontations wouldn’t be enough to protect Michael and Sarah.
I needed proof. I needed a truth sharp enough to break the armor Jessica had built. And that’s how I decided to go to an old acquaintance from a life I thought I had buried: Robert Medina, an experienced private investigator who had once been my ally in the days when I myself faced the courts.
Robert’s office was hidden in a small alley in Chicago, where the smell of old tobacco mixed with untold secrets. The room was tiny, lit only by an old desk lamp, filled with yellowish folders and black-and-white photographs.
When I pushed the door open and entered, Robert was sitting behind the desk, a half-smoked cigarette in his hand. When he saw me, he jumped up, his eyes wide with surprise. «Linda!» he exclaimed in a voice hoarse from the smoke. «My God, how many years has it been? I thought you had completely retired!»
I smiled coldly, though inside I felt a dull ache. My past life, those days when they called me the «Queen of Law,» was now just a distant memory. But today, I had to return to it for my son and granddaughter.
I sat in the wooden chair across from Robert and told him in broad strokes Michael’s story: the accident, the change in Jessica, the divorce lawsuit, and the plan to force Sarah to lie. Robert listened in silence, nodding, his gaze sharp again, like an old wolf smelling its prey.
«I understand,» he said in a low tone. «Leave it to me, but be prepared, Linda. Sometimes the truth hurts more than suspicion.»
I nodded firmly, clenching my hands. «I’m ready, Robert. I just need the truth, however painful it may be.»
A few days later, Robert met me in a small, lonely coffee shop on the outskirts. When I arrived, he was already sitting in a secluded corner with a cup of black coffee in front of him and a thin folder on the table.
He pushed the folder towards me without saying a word. I opened it and felt my heart stop. The photos inside were clear: Jessica in a striking red dress on the arm of a burly, elegant man, coming out of a luxurious hotel on the Gold Coast. She was smiling radiantly, her eyes shining, a far cry from the cold, bitter face she showed to Michael.
I took the photos with trembling hands, feeling as if ice was being poured down my chest. «His name is William Harris,» Robert murmured in a grave voice, «a real estate mogul known for seducing women with properties only to take their assets later. He has an army of lawyers and powerful contacts who cover everything up.»
I looked at a photo where Jessica was wearing a sparkling bracelet I had never seen before. «This isn’t a fling,» Robert continued. «He picks her up, pays all her bills, from luxury restaurants to expensive dresses. I suspect this is a calculated plan, Linda. She wants Michael’s house, and William is behind it.»
My heart filled with pain and rage. While Michael fought against every spasm of pain, trying to take steps with his damaged legs, Jessica, the wife he loved so much, was enjoying herself with another man, planning to take away the home my son had built with his whole life.
I thought of the nights Michael stared out the window with empty eyes, and I wanted to scream against so much injustice. «How far has she gone with him?» I asked, my voice broken with suppressed fury.
Robert sighed and shook his head. «Very far, Linda. I found hotel receipts, plane tickets, and even bank transfers from William’s account to hers. This isn’t just a romance; it’s a business.»
I paid Robert, asking him to keep watching. «I need all the proof I can get, no matter how small,» I told him in a firm voice.
Robert nodded with a look full of understanding. «You’re still the same Linda I knew,» he said. «Tough as steel. But be careful; William is not an easy man to confront.»
I smiled coldly, but deep down, I knew I had no other choice. This wasn’t just a divorce; it was a battle to protect my family.
That night, I hid the envelope with the photos in the locked drawer of my room. I didn’t want Michael to see them; I didn’t want him to face the truth that his wife had betrayed him so brazenly. Michael had already suffered enough: the accident, Jessica’s insults, the pitying looks from people. I couldn’t let another stab wound break his heart.
During dinner, Jessica appeared, dressed as ostentatiously as ever. She sat at the table and very naturally proposed, «Mom, I think we should sell this house and move to a more comfortable luxury apartment. Living here is getting boring, don’t you think?»
I looked her straight in the eye with a cutting coldness. «This house is the result of Michael’s hard work,» I said in a calm but sharp voice. «It’s not something you can sell on a whim.»
Jessica tensed, her lips moving as if she wanted to reply, but she just kept quiet and started serving food to Sarah. I looked at Sarah and saw her little eyes avoiding mine, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest.
She knew too much, but she was too young to carry that weight. Seeing her, a new strength was born in me: not only to protect Michael, but also to shield Sarah’s innocence from the scars her mother was trying to leave on her.
The morning of the first hearing, it was drizzling. The drops fell crookedly, like my own tears. I helped Michael out of the old car, each of his steps heavy, not just because of the wooden crutch but also because of the invisible burden on his shoulders.
His face was gaunt, his eyes sunken from sleepless nights, but he still gave me a weak smile so I wouldn’t worry. «Mom, I’m okay,» he said, though his voice trembled, and I knew he was trying to hide the pain. I squeezed his hand tightly, trying to pass on some of my strength, though inside my heart ached, thinking about what was to come.
On the other side of the courthouse, a luxury car screeched to a halt. Jessica got out proudly, dressed in a sparkling emerald green dress, a triumphant smile on her lips, as if victory was already assured. Her parents and her brother followed, laughing and talking loudly as if they were going to a party instead of a trial.
Seeing it, my stomach churned. They didn’t understand the years of Michael’s sacrifice to build this home; they didn’t see the sleepless nights I spent protecting my family. To them, it was all a game, and Michael the easy prey.
Inside the courtroom, the air was thick with the smell of old wood and tension. Michael sat on the plaintiff’s bench, gripping his crutch tightly, his gaze fixed on the floor as if wanting to escape all the stares. I stood behind him silently, waiting for my moment.
Jessica took the defendant’s bench, crossing her legs, her heels tapping the floor, each tap a mockery. She looked at Michael coldly, without a hint of emotion, as if he were no longer her husband.
Jennifer Rivers, Jessica’s lawyer, stood up. Her firm voice echoed throughout the room. «Your Honor, my client, Mrs. Jessica Torres, has had to endure an unsustainable life alongside a disabled husband for many years. Mr. Michael Villasenor is no longer able to work. He does not have the health to fulfill the role of a husband and father.»
«We request a divorce and the division of assets, including half the value of the house they have shared during their life together.»
