{"id":2375,"date":"2026-10-07T07:50:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T07:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=2375"},"modified":"2026-10-07T07:50:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T07:50:07","slug":"part-25-david-and-sarah-tried-living-together-again-but-their-first-shared-budget-revealed-whether-their-new-honesty-could-survive-ordinary-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=2375","title":{"rendered":"PART 25 \u2013 David and Sarah Tried Living Together Again, but Their First Shared Budget Revealed Whether Their New Honesty Could Survive Ordinary Pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>David and Sarah did not move back in together immediately.<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me, although I was careful not to say so. In our family, deciding something had traditionally meant rushing to prove the decision correct. Arthur was the only one who could make a choice and then wait quietly while reality caught up with it. The rest of us preferred movement. Packing. Paying. Fixing. Announcing.<\/p>\n<p>This time, David stayed in his apartment.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah stayed in hers.<\/p>\n<p>They continued counseling, spent weekends together with Leo, and began doing something neither of them had apparently done during most of their marriage.<\/p>\n<p>They compared finances.<\/p>\n<p>All of them.<\/p>\n<p>Not estimates.<\/p>\n<p>Not what Sarah thought David could handle.<\/p>\n<p>Not what David assumed Sarah had covered.<\/p>\n<p>Statements.<\/p>\n<p>Balances.<\/p>\n<p>Automatic payments.<\/p>\n<p>Interest rates.<\/p>\n<p>Even the subscriptions they had both forgotten existed.<\/p>\n<p>David told me this over coffee one Saturday morning, looking mildly traumatized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were paying for three streaming services we didn\u2019t even know we had.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s your great marital revelation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. The great revelation is that we were spending almost nine hundred dollars a month on things neither of us would\u2019ve defended out loud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I raised my cup.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That word interested me.<\/p>\n<p>Invisible.<\/p>\n<p>So much of their trouble had grown inside things that did not feel like decisions.<\/p>\n<p>A house with no rent.<\/p>\n<p>A loan no one discussed.<\/p>\n<p>A credit card balance carried one month longer.<\/p>\n<p>A favor from Mark.<\/p>\n<p>A little money borrowed from Leo\u2019s account because it would be returned.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing had seemed large at the moment it happened.<\/p>\n<p>The accumulated total nearly destroyed them.<\/p>\n<p>David slid a folded page across the caf\u00e9 table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur combined budget.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy are you showing me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Then slowly pulled the page back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHabit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood catch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed, embarrassed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted you to tell me if it looked realistic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have an accountant?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinancial counselor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSarah\u2019s probation program includes one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen ask them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stared at me for a moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou really mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t even want to look?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI desperately want to look.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That made him laugh harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He folded the page and slipped it into his jacket.<\/p>\n<p>The whole exchange lasted less than thirty seconds.<\/p>\n<p>A year earlier, I would have reviewed every category, suggested cuts, offered to cover something for Leo, and gone home believing I had helped.<\/p>\n<p>Now I understood how often advice becomes ownership when a person gives too much of it.<\/p>\n<p>Especially when the recipient is already accustomed to handing over responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>David told me they were considering moving into a two-bedroom rental together after his lease expired.<\/p>\n<p>Not the Craftsman.<\/p>\n<p>Not anything owned by me.<\/p>\n<p>A place chosen according to their current income and obligations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you afford it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He gave me a look.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout Mark?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout Leo\u2019s savings?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m checking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was enough.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah called me three days later.<\/p>\n<p>Not for money.<\/p>\n<p>Not about David.<\/p>\n<p>She wanted the name of the plumber who had repaired the Craftsman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve got a leak under my sink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLandlord problem?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy landlord says the tenant handles minor plumbing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does the lease say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then she laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI walked into that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll read it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She did.<\/p>\n<p>The lease put supply-line repairs on the landlord unless caused by tenant damage.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah contacted him.<\/p>\n<p>He sent a plumber.<\/p>\n<p>No crisis.<\/p>\n<p>No family intervention.<\/p>\n<p>I did not call afterward to confirm that everything had been resolved.<\/p>\n<p>That was harder than it sounds.<\/p>\n<p>For most of my adult life, caring meant follow-up.<\/p>\n<p>Did you get home?<\/p>\n<p>Did the mechanic call?<\/p>\n<p>Did the doctor say anything?<\/p>\n<p>Did the landlord fix the sink?<\/p>\n<p>Questions can become strings when you tie enough of them around people.<\/p>\n<p>A week later, Sarah mentioned casually that the leak was fixed.<\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And let it die there.<\/p>\n<p>January brought Mark\u2019s sentencing.<\/p>\n<p>I had decided months earlier not to attend.<\/p>\n<p>Then the prosecutor\u2019s office informed me I could submit a written victim-impact statement if I wished.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the email for two days.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel advised me to write one whether or not I eventually sent it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you may discover what you actually want the court to know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated when he was sensible.<\/p>\n<p>So I wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The first version was angry.<\/p>\n<p>Too angry.<\/p>\n<p>I described the forged deed, the counterfeit identification, the attempted financial extraction, the way Mark used David\u2019s debt and Sarah\u2019s fear.<\/p>\n<p>I wrote that he had treated my husband\u2019s death as an opportunity to rewrite his wishes.<\/p>\n<p>That sentence stayed.<\/p>\n<p>Most of the rest did not.<\/p>\n<p>The second version was calmer.<\/p>\n<p>I explained that the greatest damage was not monetary because, through luck and quick intervention, the property remained mine long enough for me to sell it legitimately.<\/p>\n<p>The real damage was uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>For weeks, I had not known which documents were genuine.<\/p>\n<p>Which signature might appear next.<\/p>\n<p>Which account had been opened.<\/p>\n<p>Which family member knew what.<\/p>\n<p>Fraud, I wrote, did not only attempt to take property.<\/p>\n<p>It made ordinary trust expensive.<\/p>\n<p>I stopped there.<\/p>\n<p>Then added one final paragraph.<\/p>\n<p>I did not ask the court for the harshest sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Nor did I ask for leniency.<\/p>\n<p>I asked only that Mark\u2019s conduct be named accurately.<\/p>\n<p>Not family confusion.<\/p>\n<p>Not inheritance disagreement.<\/p>\n<p>Not a misunderstanding between in-laws.<\/p>\n<p>He knew I owned the house.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur had told him so.<\/p>\n<p>He proceeded anyway.<\/p>\n<p>I sent the statement.<\/p>\n<p>The night before sentencing, I slept well.<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning, I took a long walk.<\/p>\n<p>At eleven, Daniel texted.<\/p>\n<p>Court finished. Call when convenient.<\/p>\n<p>I waited until noon.<\/p>\n<p>Mark received a sentence combining custodial time, supervised release, restitution obligations, and financial restrictions. The custodial portion was shorter than some charges might have produced if tried separately, but longer than his attorney had argued for.<\/p>\n<p>I listened without much feeling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did he react?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cQuietly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he speak?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nearly told Daniel I did not care.<\/p>\n<p>Instead I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Mark apologized to me, David, Sarah, Elaine, and Denise.<\/p>\n<p>He admitted that when his development began failing, he became convinced he could repair every problem if he obtained enough capital.<\/p>\n<p>He told the court that the Craftsman represented exactly that.<\/p>\n<p>Capital.<\/p>\n<p>Not a home.<\/p>\n<p>Not Arthur\u2019s investment.<\/p>\n<p>Not mine.<\/p>\n<p>Capital.<\/p>\n<p>The honesty of the word affected me more than the apology.<\/p>\n<p>For months we had wrapped the scheme in emotional language.<\/p>\n<p>Family.<\/p>\n<p>Security.<\/p>\n<p>Legacy.<\/p>\n<p>Mark finally called it what it had been to him.<\/p>\n<p>Money trapped inside something someone else owned.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel continued.<\/p>\n<p>Mark said he convinced himself he was not stealing because he planned to create value later.<\/p>\n<p>If the development succeeded, everyone would supposedly benefit.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah and David\u2019s debts would disappear.<\/p>\n<p>Leo\u2019s savings could be restored.<\/p>\n<p>The property could be refinanced again.<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>The same logic.<\/p>\n<p>Future success paying for today\u2019s violation.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur had described David\u2019s weakness in exactly those terms.<\/p>\n<p>Mark had built his entire life around it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did the judge say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat good intentions about future repayment do not convert someone else\u2019s property into available financing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled faintly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUseful sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe judge referenced your statement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My chest tightened unexpectedly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich part?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat the conduct needed to be named accurately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel told me Mark\u2019s business was effectively finished.<\/p>\n<p>Ellison Development Partners had entered liquidation.<\/p>\n<p>The lake property would likely be sold under creditor pressure.<\/p>\n<p>His personal financial position had collapsed.<\/p>\n<p>I felt no pleasure.<\/p>\n<p>Once, I might have imagined justice as symmetry.<\/p>\n<p>He tried to take my asset, so he lost his.<\/p>\n<p>But real consequences were messier.<\/p>\n<p>Employees lost jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Contractors waited for money.<\/p>\n<p>Denise faced retirement very different from the one she expected.<\/p>\n<p>Punishment rarely landed only on the person who earned it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about David\u2019s repayment agreement?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeparate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe still owes Mark?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe loan remains an asset subject to administration. His payments continue through escrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That felt right.<\/p>\n<p>Mark\u2019s wrongdoing did not erase David\u2019s legitimate debt.<\/p>\n<p>Again, two truths.<\/p>\n<p>After we hung up, I called David.<\/p>\n<p>He already knew.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s going to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPart of me feels guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause this all came apart after I showed you the bathroom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He went quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt came apart because the scheme existed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf a ceiling collapses when you turn on the light, the light did not cause the rotten beam.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed weakly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m stealing from him shamelessly now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David grew serious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSarah\u2019s taking it badly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s her father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe says she hates him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe also cried for an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat can coexist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you want me to call her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Good.<\/p>\n<p>He understood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe needs to feel it without us fixing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I said nothing for a moment.<\/p>\n<p>Then smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re doing the mom thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am actively resisting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Two weeks later, David and Sarah signed a lease together.<\/p>\n<p>They did not tell me until after.<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>A two-bedroom townhouse.<\/p>\n<p>Neither glamorous nor terrible.<\/p>\n<p>Within their budget.<\/p>\n<p>Close enough to Leo\u2019s school that he could keep the same routine.<\/p>\n<p>They split the security deposit.<\/p>\n<p>No one borrowed the money.<\/p>\n<p>David sent me one photograph of the living room.<\/p>\n<p>Boxes everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>Leo standing inside an empty cardboard carton.<\/p>\n<p>Caption:<\/p>\n<p>Home 2.0.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the word.<\/p>\n<p>Home.<\/p>\n<p>This time it was accurate in the way David had originally meant it.<\/p>\n<p>Not ownership.<\/p>\n<p>Belonging.<\/p>\n<p>They lived there.<\/p>\n<p>They paid for it.<\/p>\n<p>They were responsible for what happened inside.<\/p>\n<p>I replied:<\/p>\n<p>Looks crowded.<\/p>\n<p>David:<\/p>\n<p>We own too much stuff.<\/p>\n<p>I nearly typed I told you so.<\/p>\n<p>Did not.<\/p>\n<p>Progress.<\/p>\n<p>The first real test came one month later.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah\u2019s car\u2014an older used sedan bought after selling the expensive one\u2014needed a transmission repair.<\/p>\n<p>The estimate was three thousand four hundred dollars.<\/p>\n<p>David called me.<\/p>\n<p>Not to ask.<\/p>\n<p>He simply sounded frustrated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have the emergency fund.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is what it\u2019s for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you hate using it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow is that good?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou finally have money set aside for something you wish hadn\u2019t happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were supposed to use it for emergencies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA transmission is not a vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen congratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a terrible congratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They paid the repair bill.<\/p>\n<p>Their emergency fund dropped nearly to zero.<\/p>\n<p>Then they began rebuilding it.<\/p>\n<p>No credit-card spiral.<\/p>\n<p>No call to Mark.<\/p>\n<p>No loan from me.<\/p>\n<p>Three months earlier, that would not have impressed anyone.<\/p>\n<p>Now it felt like structural repair.<\/p>\n<p>Not dramatic.<\/p>\n<p>Load-bearing.<\/p>\n<p>Spring approached.<\/p>\n<p>I began reviewing my own estate plan with Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>The sale of the Craftsman changed the asset mix.<\/p>\n<p>So had everything else.<\/p>\n<p>He asked the obvious question.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you want to divide the estate between David and Jenna?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEqually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOutright?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArthur\u2019s influence?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I wanted both children treated fairly.<\/p>\n<p>But not identically without thought.<\/p>\n<p>Jenna managed money well.<\/p>\n<p>David had improved, but one good year did not erase an established pattern.<\/p>\n<p>I also did not want the plan to humiliate him.<\/p>\n<p>We discussed trusts.<\/p>\n<p>Independent trustees.<\/p>\n<p>Gradual access.<\/p>\n<p>Protections from creditors.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing secret.<\/p>\n<p>That last part mattered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m telling both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore you sign?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat can create opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do not want vetoes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I invited David and Jenna to dinner separately.<\/p>\n<p>Not together.<\/p>\n<p>Sibling dynamics turned financial discussions into competitions too easily.<\/p>\n<p>Jenna came first.<\/p>\n<p>I explained the structure.<\/p>\n<p>Equal shares.<\/p>\n<p>Different administration only if justified by circumstances at the time.<\/p>\n<p>No house promised to anyone.<\/p>\n<p>No secret instructions.<\/p>\n<p>She listened.<\/p>\n<p>Then asked, \u201cDoes David know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No argument.<\/p>\n<p>No demand.<\/p>\n<p>The next evening, David sat at the same table.<\/p>\n<p>I explained everything.<\/p>\n<p>He went quiet when I mentioned a trust.<\/p>\n<p>I let him.<\/p>\n<p>Then he said, \u201cBecause you don\u2019t trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The honesty hurt both of us.<\/p>\n<p>He nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also don\u2019t trust future creditors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlso fair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou will have meaningful access. It is not a punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would\u2019ve hated this a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Dad was right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI make better decisions when the money has edges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That phrase stayed with me.<\/p>\n<p>Edges.<\/p>\n<p>Boundaries.<\/p>\n<p>Ownership.<\/p>\n<p>Debt.<\/p>\n<p>All the invisible lines we had spent years pretending love could replace.<\/p>\n<p>I reached across the table.<\/p>\n<p>He took my hand.<\/p>\n<p>Then said, \u201cCan I ask one thing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I keep doing well, would you reconsider the restrictions later?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question was reasonable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought the conversation was over.<\/p>\n<p>Then he pulled his hand back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something I haven\u2019t told you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My body tensed automatically.<\/p>\n<p>He noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you for clarifying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s about Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I moved out of the Craftsman, I took one thing from the garage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArthur\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou took it without telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI meant to return it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He reached into his bag.<\/p>\n<p>A small black notebook.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur\u2019s block handwriting on the cover.<\/p>\n<p>PROPERTY NOTES.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI only read part.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause one page is about me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>He slid it across the table.<\/p>\n<p>A folded paper protruded from the middle.<\/p>\n<p>On the visible page, Arthur had written a date.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>Talked to David today. He finally admitted what Mark has been telling him.<\/p>\n<p>I looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Mark tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David\u2019s face went pale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat someday the Craftsman would be mine whether you wanted it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=2376\">Click here to continue reading: PART 26: Arthur\u2019s Notebook Showed He Had Confronted David About Mark Years Earlier, and My Son Finally Told Me Why He Never Warned Me<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David and Sarah did not move back in together immediately. That surprised me, although I was careful not to say so. 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