Chapter 24 - Consulting The Found Family
The kitchen table was crowded that evening, bathed in the comforting, golden glow of the warm fairy lights. The remnants of a large, shared dinner—grilled salmon and roasted vegetables—were pushed to the center of the oak table. Wesley, Dr. Sarah Jenkins, Marcus, and Arthur were deep in conversation. Luna was safely situated in the living room, building an impossibly complex architectural structure out of magnetic tiles, perfectly insulated from the heavy adult conversation taking place just a few feet away.
Wesley had placed the prison letter in the center of the table. Marcus had read it first, his seasoned legal eyes scanning the manipulative handwriting with clear disgust.
"It's a classic manipulation tactic, Wesley," Marcus stated flatly, tossing the letter back onto the table. "She is facing the harsh reality of federal prison, her health is likely declining due to age and stress, and she wants to re-establish a feeling of power. The 'Carter legacy' she mentions is entirely nonexistent. You hold the legal deed, the offshore money was repatriated into Luna's trust, and the Charleston estate was sold to a developer. She has absolutely nothing left to discuss."
"I agree," Arthur chimed in, adjusting his glasses. Having investigated the family's dark financial secrets, he knew the depths of Grandmother's deception better than anyone. "She is trying to use your empathy against you, Wesley. She knows you are a doctor. She knows you naturally want to heal people. She is weaponizing her illness to force a visit."
Sarah leaned forward, her protective instincts flaring fiercely. She looked at Wesley, her expression deadly serious. "You have zero obligation to go to Virginia, Wes. That woman treated Luna like a defective prop, stole from your late wife, and tried to destroy your medical license on her way down. Let her rot in the bed she made."
Wesley listened to his chosen family, deeply appreciating their fierce loyalty and their unwavering commitment to his and Luna's well-being. He took a slow sip of his dark roast coffee, his mind calm and perfectly clear. For six years, he had been entirely reactive to his family's demands, constantly scrambling to pay their bills, smooth over their insults, and protect Luna from their sharp edges. But the man sitting at the table tonight was completely different.
"I am not going to Virginia to heal her," Wesley finally said, his baritone voice dropping into a tone of cold, unwavering authority. "I am not going to seek an apology, and I am certainly not going out of a sense of familial obligation."
"Then why go at all, Wes?" Sarah asked, her brow furrowed in genuine concern. "Why even open that door a crack?"
"Because ignoring the letter gives her the illusion that she still has the power to make me avoid her," Wesley explained, his cinematic realism painting a vivid picture of his internal strategy. "She wants to sit in that cell and believe I am too afraid or too angry to face her. I want to look her directly in the eyes, in the absolute worst environment she has ever known, and show her exactly how little she matters to my life now. I am going to Virginia to formally and finally close the book."
Marcus slowly nodded, understanding the psychological necessity of the action. "If you do this, Wesley, you control the entire narrative. You walk in, you say your piece, and you walk out. Do not let her dictate the conversation."
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"She won't have the chance," Wesley promised, looking toward the living room where Luna was happily placing the final magnetic tile on her towering masterpiece. "She stole from my wife. She insulted my daughter. I am going to deliver the final diagnosis, and then she will remain a ghost forever."
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