“”You can’t do this to your own family.””
I felt tears gathering in my eyes.
“”Vanessa, I didn’t put a FOR SALE sign in your front yard.””
She turned away.
Michael stood silently beside the sign.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that something irreversible had happened.
“”Mom,”” he whispered.
I looked at him.
“”Take the sign down.””
He didn’t move.
“”Please.””
I pointed toward the driveway.
“”That sign does not belong in my yard.””
After several seconds, Michael walked over and pulled the stake from the grass.
The metal scraped against the ground.
Vanessa watched with an expression of pure disbelief.
She turned toward her husband.
“”Are you seriously going to let her do this?””
Michael didn’t answer.
Robert gathered his papers.
“”We’ll be in contact regarding the remaining legal issues.””
Then he looked at me.
“”Are you all right?””
I nodded.
But I wasn’t.
Not completely.
Because stopping the sale was only the beginning.
The hardest part was realizing that the person who had tried to take my home was the same person I had spent my entire life trying to protect.
That evening, Michael called.
I almost didn’t answer.
