My Husband Asked For A Divorce On His Retirement Day—So I Revealed My 30-Year Secret Chapter 12
His eyes reddened instantly. “Mom…”
That one word came far too late. I didn’t respond.
Lauren finally looked up, forcing a strained smile. “Mom, we’ve always been grateful for everything you’ve done for us. We just… misunderstood. But we’re family. There’s no need to keep such exact accounts, is there?”
I looked at her. “That’s not what you said when you told me to have some dignity.”
Her face froze.
I picked up my glass and took a sip of water. “Don’t worry. We’re not done yet. We still have to go over your account.”
Lauren’s expression changed completely. Michael was still too stunned to react.
I took out the third document and set it in front of them. “You should recognize this one.”
The moment Lauren saw the title, all the blood drained from her face.
*Loan Agreement.*
Michael frowned. “What is this?”
I looked at him, a chill settling in my bones.
When they bought their house, I had provided the four-hundred-thousand-dollar down payment. Back then, Lauren had been all sweetness and light, holding my hand and calling me ‘Mom’ in every other breath.
“I can’t let you just give us this money,” she’d insisted. “Let’s sign something and call it a loan.”
I had agreed and had Jessica draft the agreement. Both Lauren and Michael had signed it.
But because I had never pressed them for repayment, they had started to treat that piece of paper as if it didn’t exist.
I opened the file.
“‘The sum of four hundred thousand dollars shall constitute a loan. There is no fixed repayment deadline. The lender may issue thirty days’ written notice demanding repayment in full at any time. If the borrowers sell, mortgage, or refinance the property, this loan shall be repaid as a priority.'”
Michael finally caught on. “Mom, wasn’t that just a formality?”
I asked him, “Who told you it was a formality?”