The Call That Destroyed My Father Chapter 09
My mother stood and glanced at him.
“Richard, there’s something I think you should know.”
My father froze.
“Serena has already been taken in for questioning by the police. Her phone was seized under a warrant. It has your message history and transfer records with her,” my mother said calmly. “But there are other records you probably don’t know about.”
“What records?”
“While Serena was with you, she was also seeing 3 other men. She knew 2 of them before she knew
you.”
My father’s eyes widened.
“What did you say?”
“You had your attorney petition for visitation with Mason, didn’t you?” My mother spoke each word clearly. “The DNA report from the paternity case came back yesterday. He isn’t your son.”
My father collapsed back into his chair.
“Impossible. You’re lying to me.”
My mother held a document up to the glass.
“This is the report from an accredited DNA testing lab. Do you want to read it?”
My father stared at the report.
“She said… Mason was mine…”
My mother quoted Serena’s own post back to him.
“You’re where my soul can finally breathe.”
Then she sneered.
“Richard, you were fooled. From beginning to end, you were nothing but a walking ATM.’
“Serena!” he roared.
My mother stood.
“Richard, you’ll have plenty of time to think about it in there. After 30 years of marriage, that’s the last mercy I’m giving you.”
She took my hand and walked out of the visitation room without looking back.
3 months later, the plea deal and sentencing were finalized.
My father pleaded guilty to felony theft, fraud, and misappropriation of company funds.
Because the amount was so large and involved fake invoices and transfers across multiple accounts, he was sentenced to 18 years.
On top of that, while he was in the detention center, he was charged with domestic battery involving strangulation.
After my
father received the DNA report in the detention center, he sent a message to Serena
through his attorney.
When Serena came to visit him, they had a fierce argument. My father lost control and grabbed Serena by the throat, causing serious injury. Serena lost the pregnancy.
In the end, he was convicted of domestic battery involving strangulation. His combined sentence
became 24 years.
Serena took a plea on money laundering and receiving stolen funds.
She was sentenced to 3 years in state prison, plus restitution.
Her consequences went far beyond that.
She lost the child, lost the Southridge house, and lost everything she had gotten from Richard.
As for Mason’s biological father, even Serena couldn’t say for sure who he was.
The 3-year-old boy was eventually placed in licensed foster care through Illinois DCFS while waiting for a guardianship hearing.
On the night the sentence came down, my mother and I sat on the balcony.
The summer wind blew in, carrying the scent of jasmine.
“Mom, what do you think will happen to Mason?” I asked softly.
My mother stayed silent for a long time.
“He is Serena’s child. Not ours.’
I looked at my mother’s profile.
Moonlight spilled over the balcony and lit up the pot of jasmine my mother had just planted.
Later, my mother opened a forensic accounting firm.
She didn’t have many clients, but they all came through word of mouth.
She said she would never give up her career for anyone again.
I quit my old job and started studying for the CPA exam.
Now I work as my mother’s assistant at her firm.
The 2 of us live better than we ever did before.
As for my father.
A 24-year sentence was enough to destroy the rest of his life.
Sometimes I wonder whether he regrets it in there.
Most of the time, I don’t think about him anymore.
He is not my father anymore.
My mother was right.
The 1 thing a woman can never give up in this life is herself.
I learned that.
I will never forget it.
