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.

Everything is perfectly in order with the sale of your property and no one can touch that money without your consent.

However, if they are really planning to declare you incompetent, we need to act quickly to protect you.

What can I do? First, we are going to get an independent medical evaluation that certifies that you are completely sane and capable.

Second, we are going to prepare legal documents that protect your assets.

And third, if necessary, we are going to get a restraining order against your children.

That day was one of the longest of my life.

Between doctors, lawyers, and legal procedures, I realized that my quiet life had turned into a nightmare.

But I also realized something else.

For the first time in years, I was fighting for something that truly mattered to me.

And that fight was giving me a strength I didn’t know I had.

The next day, as I was returning from the pharmacy after buying some nerve medicine the doctor had prescribed, I saw Michael’s black pickup truck parked in front of my house.

But this time, he wasn’t alone.

There was another car I didn’t recognize, a gray sedan with two men inside who seemed to be waiting for something.

My heart started beating so fast I could hear it in my ears.

I remembered Ethan’s words about the strange men Michael had been talking to at the bar, and I knew immediately that those must be them.

I hid behind the mango tree that is on the corner of my property and took out my cell phone to call Grace.

Grace, I whispered.

I’m hiding near my house.

Michael is here with some men I don’t know, and I think they are planning to do something terrible to me.

Where exactly are you? Grace asked in an alarmed voice.

Behind the mango tree, but I can’t stay here forever.

Martha, call the police right now.

And I tell them what? That my son is visiting my house.

You tell them you feel threatened and you need help.

In the meantime, I’m on my way.

I hung up the phone and dialed the emergency number.

But before I could speak to anyone, I heard Michael’s voice shouting my name from my yard.

Mom, I know you’re around here.

We just want to talk to you.

Don’t be ridiculous and come out from wherever you’re hiding.

His tone of voice didn’t sound like someone who just wanted to talk.

It sounded like someone who was rapidly losing patience.

One of the men from the gray sedan got out of the car and I could see him clearly for the first time.

He was a tall guy with tattooed arms and a hostile face.

He was wearing a tight black shirt that showed he exercised regularly, and he walked with that aggressive attitude of someone accustomed to intimidating people.

“Are you sure she’s here?” the man asked Michael.

“She has to be here.” Her neighbor told me she saw her return an hour ago.

The second man also got out of the car.

He was shorter, but heavier, with a beer belly and a scar that crossed his left cheek from his ear to his mouth.

He was wearing a baseball cap and ripped jeans, and he had that way of moving that reminded me of the criminals who appeared on the news.

“Look, Michael,” said the man with the scar.

“We don’t have all day.

If your mom doesn’t want to cooperate nicely, we’ll have to use other methods to convince her.” “Give me a few more minutes,” Michael replied.

And I could hear the desperation in his voice.

She has to show up.

At that moment, Patricia arrived in her white car, parking quickly and getting out with a furious look.

She was wearing a purple dress I had never seen her in before, and high heeled shoes that were clearly not appropriate for walking in the dirt of my yard.

“Have you found her yet?” she asked the men without even greeting her brother.

“No, but we know she’s nearby,” replied the tattooed man.

This is ridiculous,” Patricia shouted, heading towards my house.

“Mom, I know you can hear me.

Stop acting like a child and come out and talk to us.” From my hiding place behind the tree, I could see how the three men and Patricia moved around my property as if it were theirs.

Michael checked behind the bushes.

Patricia Dyisha looked through the windows of the house and the two strangers walked around as if they were evaluating the terrain.

Are you sure she can’t be inside the house? The man with the scar asked Patricia.

Impossible.

She changed the locks yesterday and we don’t have the new keys.

That’s no problem, the tattooed man said with a terrifying smile.

I can open any door in less than 5 minutes.

No, Michael shouted.

We can’t break in.

That would be breaking and entering.

And what do you suggest then? Patricia asked impatiently.

We can’t stay here all day waiting for her to show up.

Just then, I heard the sound of sirens approaching, and my heart leaped with relief.

Clearly, when I had dialed the emergency number, the call had connected, even though I had hung up, and they had sent someone to investigate.

The four conspirators also heard the sirens and immediately panicked.

“Shit!” shouted the man with the scar.

“Someone called the cops.” “Let’s go now!” said the tattooed man, running toward his car.

“Wait!” Michael shouted at them.

“We can’t leave like this.

It will look very suspicious, but the two men had already gotten into their gray sedan and were starting the engine.

They sped off my property, kicking up a cloud of dust just as the police car turned the corner.

Patricia and Michael were left standing there, trying to act as if nothing strange had happened, but I could see the panic on their faces.