“No, Charles. I don’t think I’m righteous. But I do know that I was there for Jason when you weren’t. I held his hand when he was scared. I made sure he had a home when you threw him out. And if you want this house, you’ll have to give me something you’ve never given him: the truth.”
They stared at me, the weight of my words settling in.
“Why did you cut ties with your own son? Why did you ignore his attempts to reconcile? If you can answer those questions honestly, without lies or excuses, I’ll consider your request. But if you can’t, then you have no right to anything he left behind.”
The silence was suffocating. Their lawyer shifted awkwardly, glancing at them as if wishing he were anywhere else.
Susan’s eyes darted around the room, unwilling to meet my gaze. Charles seemed to struggle for the right words, his mouth opening and closing, as if the truth was stuck somewhere deep inside him.
Finally, it was Susan who spoke, her voice barely a whisper. “We… we didn’t want him to live the way he wanted. We thought it would be better if he lived without us.”
Her words were hollow, empty. They carried no real remorse.
I shook my head, the bitter smile growing. “That’s not enough. It’ll never be enough.”
The lawyer, sensing the futility of the situation, stepped forward. “I think it’s time we leave, Mr. and Mrs. Miller. There’s nothing more to discuss.”
They looked at him, then back at me. For the first time, I saw something other than anger or entitlement in their eyes: defeat.
Without another word, they turned and left, their footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway. I watched them walk to their car and drive away, the weight of what had just happened settling over me.
As I closed the door, I felt a strange mix of sorrow and relief. Jason was gone, but I had protected his legacy from those who didn’t deserve it.
With a final sigh, I locked the door. The sound of the deadbolt sliding into place was a quiet affirmation of everything I’d fought for. The house was mine — no, it was ours. And Jason’s memory would stay with me, in these walls and in my heart, for as long as I lived.
