His jaw locked as he avoided my eyes. “Claire, listen… things were tight. We had expenses—”
“Tight?” I let out a breathless, broken laugh. “I worked two jobs while pregnant. You made me feel guilty for buying anything that wasn’t discounted. And all this time—” My voice trembled. “—you were sitting on a quarter of a million dollars every month?”
Vivian rushed in defensively. “You don’t understand how expensive life is. Mark had to maintain his professional image. If people thought he was struggling—”
“Struggling?” Grandpa roared. “You stole more than eight million dollars. Eight million!”
Mark finally exploded. “Fine! I took it! I deserved it! Claire would never understand what real success looks like—she’s always been—”
“Enough,” Grandpa said sharply, his voice suddenly terrifyingly calm. “You will pack your belongings today. Claire and the baby are leaving with me. And you—” he pointed at Mark—“will repay every dollar. My lawyers are already prepared.”
Vivian’s face drained of color. “Edward, please—”
“No,” he said flatly. “You nearly destroyed her life.”