Chapter 19 - The Eviction
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The process of their removal took less than two hours.
The asset recovery team worked with terrifying, clinical efficiency. They cleared the garage of every single counterfeit handbag, seizing them under federal customs authority. They went into the master bedroom and repossessed the expensive jewelry, designer watches, and electronics Vanessa and Michael had purchased using the diverted commercial loan funds.
Michael and Vanessa were allowed to pack two small suitcases each of basic clothing and personal toiletries. Everything else was flagged as evidence or collateral.
I stood by the grand fireplace in the living room, watching as my son zipped his duffel bag with trembling hands. He didn't look at me. He couldn't. The shame and fear had completely hollowed him out.
Vanessa walked out the front door first, her head bowed in disgrace as the county detective escorted her to the sidewalk to await a taxi. Her luxury car had already been towed away by the bank's repossession agency.
When Michael finally reached the front door, he stopped. He turned slightly, looking back into the house where he had grown up, the house he had tried to rip away from me.
“I really am sorry, Mom,” he whispered into the empty hallway.
“I know you are, Michael,” I replied softly from the living room. “But you’re only sorry because you got caught.”
May you like
He swallowed hard, nodded once in defeat, and walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.
The heavy, suffocating atmosphere that had plagued my home for eight long months vanished instantly. The house was finally quiet again. It was empty, but for the first time in nearly a year, it was entirely mine.
