Chapter 9 - The Hypocrites at the Door
|
Word of the massive scandal in Chicago spread across the country like wildfire through dry autumn grass.
Every major newspaper and social media platform was buzzing with the dramatic public humiliation of the Moretti family.
In Boston, our life remained tranquil on the surface, but the sudden media attention inevitably drew out the leeches of my past.
On a crisp Tuesday afternoon, while Emily was at her private elementary school, the brass knocker of my Beacon Hill brownstone sounded sharply.
I opened the heavy mahogany door, expecting a package delivery, but found myself staring at two people I had not seen in seven years.
My parents, Richard and Eleanor Bennett, stood on my front porch, dressed in their finest suburban country-club attire.
My mother wore a tailored pastel coat and carried an expensive designer handbag, while my father leaned on an ornate walking cane.
Seven years ago, these two people had stood beside Sophia’s luxury hospital bed, telling me to accept my husband’s infidelity because Sophia carried an heir.
“Claire, darling!” my mother gasped, opening her arms as though she were greeting a beloved daughter who had merely gone away on vacation.
I did not move an inch, keeping my hand firmly on the brass doorknob, blocking the entrance to my sanctuary.
“What are you doing here, Eleanor?” I asked, refusing to grant her the title of mother.
Her arms fell awkwardly to her sides, and she exchanged an uncomfortable glance with my father.
“That is no way to speak to your parents, Claire,” Richard scolded, attempting to summon his old patriarchal authority.
“We saw the news from Chicago. We saw how brilliantly Emily performed on that stage.”
“We came to offer our support during this difficult public ordeal,” Eleanor chimed in with artificial sweetness.
“We know how stressful it must be dealing with Vincent’s lawyers, and we thought our family should present a united front.”
I looked at the two people who had abandoned their own biological child to curry favor with a powerful mobster’s mistress.
“A united front?” I repeated, letting out a soft, incredulous laugh.
“Where was your united front when I was bleeding on a cot in an overflow corridor, Eleanor?”
“Where was your parental support when Sophia was taking my husband and you told me my tears were embarrassing?”
Eleanor’s face flushed pink beneath her expensive makeup, but she quickly pressed forward with her rehearsed pitch.
“Claire, we were thinking of the family’s future! Sophia was like a daughter to us, and Vincent was the most powerful man in Illinois!”
“We did what we had to do to survive in high society!”
“And now Sophia is sitting in a federal holding cell awaiting indictment,” I noted coldly.
“And Vincent has disinherited her child and stripped your family of every business contract he ever granted you.”
Richard’s face hardened, his mask of paternal concern slipping away to reveal the raw desperation underneath.
“Claire, be reasonable!” Richard snapped, gripping his cane with white knuckles.
“Vincent is desperate to make amends with you and Emily! He will give you anything you ask for!”
“All you have to do is reconcile with him, and our family’s standing in Chicago will be restored tenfold!”
“They are about to foreclose on our house in Lake Forest, Claire! You have to think about your parents!”
I stared at the selfish, shallow man before me, feeling no anger, only an overwhelming sense of profound pity.
“My family consists of one person, Richard,” I said, looking him dead in the eyes.
“Her name is Emily Bennett.”
“You chose Sophia’s stolen glory seven years ago, and you can live with the wreckage of her defeat today.”
“If you ever come near my house, my daughter’s school, or my business again, I will have Boston police arrest you for harassment.”
“Claire, wait! You can't turn your back on your own blood!” Eleanor wailed as I began to close the door.
May you like
“You taught me how to do it seven years ago in that hospital room,” I said softly.
And with that, I clicked the heavy deadbolt into place, shutting the door on their pathetic greed forever.
