Aaron finally brought his hand forward, placed a stack of documents on the counter, and slid them toward me.
“Sign the top page, Sandra. You’re going to sign either way. You have no savings that aren’t tangled up with mine, and a father who’ll back whatever Diane tells him to back. You’ve got nothing and nowhere to go. So let’s stop pretending you have a choice and start being honest with each other. It feels better. Trust me,” Aaron said.
He smiled as if he were doing me a kindness.
“You’re right. We’ve known each other since senior year of high school, by the way. Your stepmom approached me at your mom’s funeral.”
“You’ve been so generous,” Diane added sweetly. “All Aaron had to do was be patient with you. Keep you comfortable and waiting. That part was just for my enjoyment. Call it ‘playing the long game.’ And you stuck it out and finally ‘won’!”
I gripped the counter so I would not sway.
“And the proposal?”
“That was phase two,” Aaron said, as if he were presenting a business plan. “Marriage gives me legal standing. Diane buys the property through me. Quiet, clean, family business.” Familyrelationship counseling
My stepmother tapped the folder.
read more in next page
