Janet had always been my ride-or-die, but I had never seen her this fired up. She dropped her tote bag and got straight to work.
“Okay, spill everything,” she demanded. “Are we just here to make Camille sweat, or do we want the world to know she erased you and staged your death?”
Gabriel hesitated. I didn’t.
“We want the truth out, Jan. She can’t keep hiding what she did to us. Gabriel was isolated in private care under his mother’s control.”
“Everything in my life was supervised,” Gabriel added quietly.
Janet clicked her pen. “I’m ready to expose your mother, Gabriel. I already texted Mary at the Gazette, and Lisa from the board still owes me after that disaster of a Christmas party.”
Gabriel glanced at me. “You sure you want to pull everyone into this?”
I met his eyes and took his hand.
“It’s time, Gabe. You deserve your life back. And I want purpose in mine again.”
“Don’t worry,” Janet said confidently. “I’m not letting Camille bulldoze either of you.”
Walking into Camille’s house with Janet and Gabriel, I didn’t feel small for the first time in years.
Camille greeted us at the door, smiling, a suited man at her side. Her eyes locked on Gabriel.
“You shouldn’t have brought her here,” she hissed. “This girl has always been bad news.”
“I don’t care, Mom,” Gabriel replied firmly. “I’m done being erased by you. I’m here to reclaim my identity, and take over the pharmaceutical company.”
I stepped forward and held out the envelope — Gabriel’s released files and Dr. Keller’s signed summary letter, provided with Gabriel’s consent.
“We know what you did, Camille. The threats, the coverup. The board will see the truth and need someone else to step in. Gabriel will finally return to himself. He can live the life he deserves.”
Camille’s smile didn’t falter, but her hand trembled as her phone lit up: BOARD EMERGENCY SESSION — TODAY.
She lowered it slowly and looked at me.
“You’ll regret this.”
“No. You’ll regret underestimating your son, and the poor mechanic’s daughter he loved.”
For a moment, she hesitated. Then she turned and retreated, shoulders rigid.
I kept my gaze fixed on her until the doors closed.
Gabriel exhaled shakily and turned to me. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
I squeezed his hand.
“You’re not alone anymore. Neither of us is. But this is just the beginning of a fight.”
Janet grinned. “Come on. Let’s go tell the world what really happened thirty years ago. It’s time to knock your mother off her pedestal.”
I looked at Gabriel — not Elias. Not a ghost. Not the boy I had buried.
The past no longer owned either of us.
“Let’s go,” I said. “And this time, nobody gets to rewrite our story.”
Source: amomama.com
Note: This story is a work of fiction inspired by real events. Names, characters, and details have been altered. Any resemblance is coincidental. The author and publisher disclaim accuracy, liability, and responsibility for interpretations or reliance. All images are for illustration purposes only.
