“You offered to help us.”
“I offered to help with emergencies.”
“Those payments became part of our financial planning.”
“That was your mistake.”
She turned toward Wesley.
“Explain to her that she cannot destabilize a family overnight.”
Wesley rested both hands on his knees.
“I can explain the legal position,” he said.
“But I cannot make it different from what it is.”
Genevieve sat back.
“Fine.”
He looked at me first.
“Mrs.
Kelley, did you authorize the bank to cancel all recurring payments attached to your accounts?”
“Yes.”
“Were you coerced?”
“No.”
“Were you confused about what you were signing?”
“No.”
“Did Clara explain the immediate consequences?”
“She did.”
Genevieve interrupted.
“She acted emotionally after receiving one text message.”
Wesley turned to her.
“An emotional reason does not invalidate a competent person’s decision about her own money.”
Benjamin finally sat down.
“Wesley, that is not why we called you.”
“I know why you called me.”
His tone was quiet, but it altered the room.
Genevieve unfolded her arms.
“We are worried about her judgment.”
“No,” I said.
“You are worried about your payments.”
Benjamin stared at the carpet.
Wesley opened his leather case.
The brass clasps made two small clicks.
From inside, he removed a legal pad, a sealed envelope, and a thick copy of our estate documents.
I recognized Thomas’s initials on the faded blue cover.
Genevieve pointed toward me.
“She cut off tuition for her own granddaughter.”
“I stopped paying a bill that belongs to the child’s parents.”
“You are punishing a child.”
“No.
I am requiring two adults to support her.”
Benjamin’s head lifted.
“I cannot replace ninety-three thousand dollars overnight.”
For the first time, the exact number entered the room.
Genevieve turned toward him.
“Ninety-three?”
He did not answer.
I watched her expression shift from outrage to calculation.
She had known I paid many of their bills.
Apparently, she had not known the full amount.
“Ninety-three thousand six hundred dollars,” I said.
“In the last twelve months.”
Genevieve looked at the bank summary again.
