«Il giorno prima del matrimonio di mia figlia, mi disse: “Vuoi farmi un regalo? Allora sparisci dalla mia vita”. Rimasi in silenzio e feci esattamente quello che voleva. Dopo aver venduto la casa e annullato il matrimonio da sogno… lasciai un piccolo regalo nella casa vuota che lasciò tutta la sua famiglia sbalordita.»

father was more perceptive than his country club exterior suggested.

“The scholarships were real,” Amber protested weakly. “They just didn’t cover everything.”

“They covered approximately twelve percent of your total educational expenses,” I corrected, tapping the Education folder. “I covered the rest.”

Blake paced the small kitchen, visibly processing these revelations.

“So the house renovations we’ve been doing… were financed by a $45,000 loan from you,” he said slowly.

“A loan Amber has never mentioned repaying,” I confirmed.

“The loan that funded the kitchen you designed specifically to impress