My daughter went crazy when I refused to give her the money from selling my farm. My older son took her side and broke my rib. Twenty minutes later, both of them regretted ever being born.

For a moment, our eyes met, and for the first time since this whole nightmare had begun, I saw something close to remorse in his eyes.

“Mom,” he shouted from the car.

“I didn’t want this to happen.

I just wanted.” “It’s too late, Michael!” I shouted back, feeling all the emotional pain of years turn into words.

It’s too late to be sorry.

At the hospital, while I was having X-rays and tests done, Grace arrived completely breathless.

The poor woman had run so much she could barely breathe.

Oh, Martha, how do you feel? Does it hurt a lot? My soul hurts more than my body, Grace.

I can’t believe my own son did this to me.

And Patricia, where is she? I don’t know, and I don’t care.

She was an accomplice to all of this.

The doctor, a young doctor with a kind face, came to explain the results of the studies.

Mrs.

Martha, you have two fractured ribs on the left side.

It is not a life-threatening injury, but it is going to be very painful for the next few weeks.

You need absolute rest and pain medication.

Doctor, how long will I be like this? Ribs take between 6 and 8 weeks to heal completely.

During that time, you cannot do physical exertion.

You cannot lift heavy things, and you have to be very careful when moving.

While the doctor was explaining the care instructions, the older officer arrived with a notebook in his hand.

Mrs.

Martha, I need to take a formal statement from you about what happened.

Do you feel well enough to talk? Yes, officer.

I want everything to be officially recorded.

I told him the whole story from the beginning.

The sale of the farm, the first demands for money, the escalating threats, the conspiracy to declare me incompetent, and finally the physical attack.

Ma’am, this is very serious.

Your son is arrested for elder abuse, which is a felony.

Do you want to press formal charges? The question hit me like a bucket of cold water.

It was one thing to be angry with Michael and quite another to send him to jail.

But when I thought about everything that had happened, all the threats, all the malicious plans, I realized I had no other choice.

Yes, officer.

I want to press charges not just for the physical attack but for all the threats and intimidation.

The officer nodded and continued taking notes.

We are also going to investigate those men who were with him.

Your description matches some known local criminals.

That night I stayed in the hospital for observation and Grace stayed with me.

Around at 22 hours 0 minutes at night, I received a call I didn’t expect.

It was Patricia, and by her voice, I could tell she had been crying.

“Mom,” she said in a broken voice.

“I need to talk to you.

Please, I have nothing to talk about with you, Patricia.” “Mom, please.

Michael is in jail and all of this got completely out of control.

I never wanted you to be physically hurt, but you did want me to be emotionally hurt.

You did want me to be robbed of my money.

You did want me to be declared crazy.

I didn’t know about declaring you crazy, Mom.

That was Aaron’s idea, and those horrible men.

And why didn’t you defend me? Why didn’t you protect me when you knew they were planning to harm me? Patricia remained silent for several seconds.

Why? Because we needed the money, Mom.

We are in a very desperate situation.

Well, now you are in an even more desperate situation.

Your brother is going to jail, and you are going to have to face the legal consequences of your actions.

Mom, please don’t let Michael go to jail.

He has problems with alcohol and gambling, but he is not a bad person.

He just needs help.

Patricia, your brother broke two of my ribs.

He physically attacked me in front of the police.

That is not something that can be forgiven with a simple apology.

What if we give you back all the money we asked for? What if we promise never to bother you again? What money are you going to give me back if you never gave me a single dime? And how are you going to promise me not to bother me if you just proved you are capable of anything? The next day when I was discharged from the hospital, my lawyer came to visit me at Grace’s house where I was going to stay during my recovery.

Mrs.

Martha, the lawyer told me, I have important news.

The police arrested the two men who were with your son.

It turns out they have criminal records for fraud and extortion.

One of them confessed that your son had contacted them to help him intimidate you.

And what is going to happen now? Your son is going to face very serious charges.

Elder abuse, conspiracy to commit fraud, and intimidation.

He could receive several years in prison.

The news left me with very contradictory feelings.

On the one hand, I was glad that justice was working, but on the other hand, the idea that my own son was going to spend years in jail broke my heart.

And my daughter, she is also going to have legal problems.

It depends.

If she cooperates with the investigation and testifies against the other conspirators, it is possible that she will only receive a warning.

But if it is proven that she actively participated in the intimidation plans, she could also face charges.

That afternoon, while resting on Grace’s sofa with a pillow propped against my broken ribs, I received a completely unexpected visit.

“It was Aaron, but he came alone and with a completely different attitude from the one he had had at the restaurant.” “Mother-in-law,” he said in a humble voice, “I know I have no right to be here, but I need to talk to you.” “What do you want, Aaron? Are you also coming to threaten me? No, mother-in-law.