My mom’s social circle turned on her.
Ethan? His image was ruined.
And that was before the court case even started.
They wanted to play dirty.
I had barely begun.
The fallout from the article was immediate and brutal.
My parents had spent decades curating their image as a wealthy, well-respected family.
My mother thrived on her reputation in high society circles, and my father built his career on the illusion of financial stability.
But now?
Now their dirty laundry was out in the open for everyone to see.
The article didn’t just expose their debt.
It revealed just how deep the hole was.
The loans.
The unpaid bills.
The second mortgage they had taken out to maintain their perfect lifestyle.
Even Ethan’s reckless spending habits were put under a microscope.
I knew my mother would be devastated.
She cared more about appearances than anything.
But what really made me smirk was picturing Ethan’s reaction.
He had always acted like he was untouchable, like money would always magically appear for him.
Now the world saw him for what he really was.
An entitled, spoiled brat who had burned through everything his parents had.
And the best part?
This wasn’t even my final move.
I expected my parents to come running back to demand an explanation, to throw another tantrum.
Instead, they went quiet.
Too quiet.
For the next few weeks, I waited for their next move.
But all I got were whispers from distant relatives.
My aunt called me out of the blue, pretending to check in, but I could tell she was fishing for information.
“Your mother is going through a lot right now,” she said, voice tight. “Maybe you should reach out.”
I nearly laughed.
“Reach out?” I repeated. “You mean the same woman who just tried to sue me for my own inheritance?”
“She was hurt,” my aunt said, and I could practically hear the mental gymnastics. “This has been hard for all of them.”
I let the silence drag until she got the hint.
The next day, I got a text from Ethan.
“Hope you’re happy. You ruined Mom and Dad’s lives.”
I replied, “No. They did that to themselves. I just stopped covering for them.”
Ethan texted, “Grandpa would be ashamed of you.”