Fifty thousand dollars was more money than I’d ever had in my bank account. It could pay off my debts, help my mother, and give me a financial cushion for years.
But I wasn’t thinking about the money.
I was thinking about the woman who had spent years convincing her son that someone who loved him had abandoned him.
And now she was trying to buy another disappearance.
“Suppose I refuse?” I asked.
Patricia folded her hands.
“Then I’ll make sure Ryan sees exactly what kind of woman you are.”
“What kind of woman is that?”
“The kind who pretends to love a man until someone offers her enough money to leave.”
I stared at her.
“You’re going to tell him I took money you haven’t even given me?”
She smiled.
“I won’t need to tell him. I have a way of making people believe what I want them to believe.”
