His paycheck went into an account Vanessa controlled.
He hated it.
But it worked.
Eventually, Vanessa let him come home.
Trust didn’t return overnight.
They went to counseling.
Some days, she told me she still looked at him and saw the man who lied to everyone.
Other days, she saw the person she married.
The house sold in May.
Everything was distributed according to Mom’s final will.
Greg’s share remained in trust until his treatment program officially certified his completion.
When that letter arrived, I released every dollar.
Greg called that evening.
“I’m putting all of it into Tyler and Ava’s college fund.”
“Greg, that money is yours.”
“No.”
He paused.
“Mom wanted me to get better. Paying back what I stole is part of getting better.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
Then he mentioned the freezer.
Vanessa wanted it.
That ridiculous old freezer with the sticking lid and roaring motor.
