My Mother Recognized My Fake Fiance From an Autumn Night Five Years Ago
My father leaned back in his chair. “I knew we had to keep your mother out of court.”
“David, be quiet,” my mother said, her voice rising.
“She was drinking, Mia,” my father said, ignoring her. “She had three glasses of wine at the country club. She hit his parked truck on the way home.”
“You told me he hit you,” I said, looking at my mother.
My mother turned her face toward the window. “He was parked in the dark. He shouldn’t have been there.”
“His truck was under a streetlamp,” Christopher said. “I was inside the diner getting a cup of coffee. I heard the crash from three blocks away.”
My father looked down at his plate. “I wrote the check to the deputy’s contact. I thought it would cover the medical bills.”
“What medical bills?” I asked. “Christopher didn’t get any of that money. The deputy kept thirty thousand, and the rest went to the witness.”
“We did what we had to do to protect this family,” my mother said. “You were in college, Mia. Your tuition was paid from that same bank account.”
