Chapter 5
"Benjamin told you about that."
"No, he didn't."
"He must have."
I turned toward my son.
"Did you?"
He lowered his eyes.
"No."
The word landed heavily between us.
I had expected excuses.
I had expected anger.
But hearing him admit that he had kept a financial arrangement hidden from me was different.
It made the betrayal undeniable.
"How long?" I asked.
"Almost three years."
I swallowed.
"And what exactly was the money being used for?"
Benjamin hesitated.
Genevieve answered again.
"Business development. Marketing. Professional expenses."
"How much?"
Silence.
"Benjamin."
He rubbed his face.
"About thirty-two thousand dollars."
I stared at him.
"Thirty-two thousand dollars?"
"Over several years," he said quickly.
As though spreading the amount across time somehow made it smaller.
I looked down at the statement.
The payments were listed plainly.
They had been authorized through a recurring arrangement connected to my account, but I had never understood that the money was supporting a separate business venture.
I had believed I was helping my son cover household necessities.
Instead, part of that assistance had been diverted into a company he had never bothered to tell me existed.
"Why didn't you ask me?" I whispered.
Benjamin looked miserable.
"Because you would've said no."
I sat very still.
There are moments when someone tells you the truth, and the truth hurts more than the lie.
That was one of them.
He had known I would object.
So he had avoided giving me the information I needed to make an informed decision.
And somehow, he had convinced himself that was acceptable.
Genevieve leaned forward.
"You're acting as though we stole from you."
I looked at her.
"I'm trying to understand what happened."
"You agreed to help Benjamin financially."
"With his family's expenses."
"His business is part of his family's future."
"Then why was it a secret?"
She had no answer.
Benjamin finally spoke.
"Mom, I thought the company would take off. I thought we'd make enough money to pay you back."
I looked at him sadly.
"Benjamin, you never told me you owed me anything."
He frowned.
"What?"
"Every time I helped you, you called it temporary. Every time I asked whether you were managing, you said things were improving. But you never gave me the whole picture."
His eyes filled with tears.
"I didn't want you to worry."
I shook my head.
"No. You didn't want me to stop."
That was the truth.