Disappointed I’m not dead, I thought. But I said, “Not at all. I feel great.”
There was an awkward pause. “And… what about that foundation you mentioned? Is that really something you want to do right now? Maybe it’s better to rest a bit before starting new projects.”
Ah, so that was it. The money. Always the money. “It’s all in motion, Rachel. In fact, I’m going to sign the final documents with Nora right now.”
Another pause, longer this time. “How much… how much are you putting into that foundation, Mom?”
I closed my eyes, controlling the wave of pain that threatened to swallow me. “Thirty million,” I answered calmly, a lie I knew would make her desperate. “It’s a good start for the work I want to do.”
I could hear her sharp intake of breath. “Thirty million? But Mom, that’s… that’s almost everything! You can’t!”
“I have to go, dear. The taxi is here.” I hung up before she could protest further. Now I knew exactly what my life was worth to my daughter and her husband: somewhere between seventeen and forty-seven million dollars.