Chapter 158: The Motive
"Roberta, you're dreaming! No one is taking my brother away!" Lip shouted angrily.
"Roberta just wants to create our own family," Monica explained.
"Your own family? Then why not fix the issues with this one first?" Fiona retorted.
"They want to take Liam!" Debbie cried, clutching Liam tightly.
"That's right," Roberta confirmed.
"No way!" Fiona and the others protested.
"No one has the right or the authority to take anyone away from here!" Lip insisted.
"You can't just abandon your children, then show up one day and take them away like you're picking out a pet. You've abandoned your responsibilities as a mother."
"You're not a mother—you haven't raised them."
"It was me! I sacrificed everything to raise them, and guess what? I did a damn good job!" Fiona declared, pointing at herself.
"Lip is at the top of his class, ready to skip grades and attend any university—Chicago, MIT, Harvard—you name it. He's an absolute genius."
"Ian got promoted in the ROTC program; his shooting skills are phenomenal. He can hit a target from a hundred meters away with perfect precision!"
"Debbie is the class president and on the debate team, about to compete nationally."
"Carl is the star player on the hockey team, knows the multiplication table backwards, and is the coolest kid in school!" Fiona proudly pointed to each child.
"They've achieved all this without any help from you, because you weren't here. You're nowhere near as good as Frank."
"Sure, Dad liked to drink and was rarely home. He never helped when we needed him and often got into trouble, leaving us to clean up his messes."
"But he never left us. He was always there, sticking around like a stubborn stain. No matter how bad he was, he was still a father."
"We've already lost Dad. We won't let you take Liam. We won't lose any more family!" Fiona shouted, her emotions spilling over.
Fiona was visibly shaken, her eyes red and veins bulging in her neck from the strain.
"Fiona, I appreciate everything you've done, but I'm back now. Liam should be with me," Monica insisted.
"You left him when he was two months old, without a word. He doesn't even know who you are!" Fiona felt both amused and saddened.
"I'm his mother!" Monica argued.
"And you're my mother. You're all of our mother!" Fiona shouted through tears.
"Maybe I'll never have a perfect mother-daughter relationship with you, but I still have a chance to make it up to Liam."
"And to Debbie and Carl. If I've hurt you, I'm sorry, but I love you all very much. Please, let me be a mother again," Monica pleaded, kneeling in front of Debbie and Carl.
Seeing Monica's pitiful state, kind-hearted Debbie softened, her long-held desire for maternal love surfacing.
But just as Debbie was about to embrace Monica, she remembered something.
"Dad said in his will," Debbie began, capturing everyone's attention.
"Dad warned us to be cautious of Mom, and if possible, never to seek her out," Debbie's voice echoed in the room.
"Frank..." Monica froze.
"Enough. You're not welcome here. Please leave!" Fiona issued a final order.
"No way. Monica is your mother, and this is her home. With Frank gone, she's the rightful owner," Roberta declared, claiming ownership.
"No, this is my home. The house is in my name. If you don't leave, I'll call the police!" Fiona threatened.
"In your name? Wasn't this house Ginger's?" Monica asked, surprised.
"Aunt Ginger has passed away," Fiona stated.
"But..." Monica started to protest.
Monica knew about Frank burying Ginger and collecting her benefits. She had even helped during the burial.
"Dad told us everything about Aunt Ginger. Apparently, you and Dad were involved together. Do you know how much trouble you caused? Social Services and the FBI came to our house! You nearly destroyed us!" Fiona shivered at the memory.
"Are you alright?" Monica asked, concerned.
"We've handled the Ginger issue, and the house is now under my name," Fiona replied, refusing to look at Monica's fake concern.
"Wasn't the house in Frank's name?" Monica questioned, knowing Frank wouldn't easily give up the house.
"Dad had a will notarized under Aunt Ginger's name, making me the beneficiary," Fiona explained.
"That's impossible!" Monica exclaimed, not recognizing this side of Frank.
"No one forced him. He did it without telling us. We verified it at the land registry—it's in my name."
"So, this is my home. Please leave, you're not welcome here," Fiona insisted.
"Fiona," Monica tried again.
"If we're not welcome, let's go, Monica," Roberta intervened.
With reluctance, Monica left with Roberta, frequently looking back.
After they departed, silence enveloped the house as everyone processed Monica's sudden return and her intentions for Liam.
"Will Liam really be taken away?" Debbie broke the silence.
"No one can take Liam. Regardless of Monica's motives, we won't let her succeed. Don't worry, it's late. Let's have dinner," Fiona said, wiping her tears and heading to the kitchen.
"What now? Fiona and the others are so resistant," Monica lamented to Roberta in the truck.
"It doesn't matter. We don't need those kids' permission," Roberta replied.
(End of Chapter)