I said, looking them in the eyes and spitting out each word. "My mother took my five hundred thousand dollars, plus her own savings, and bought Lyle a house outright."
Aunt Margaret immediately cut in. "Nonsense! How could your mother do something like this?"
I laughed bitterly. "Aunt Margaret, if you don't believe me, call my mother right now, or go ask Lyle. The title is already in Lyle's name."
Aunt Eliza's expression changed. She pulled out her phone and walked off to the side to make a call.
A few minutes later, she hung up and came back, her face darkened. She whispered a few words to Aunt Margaret, whose face also froze.
After a moment of silence, one of my cousins spoke up to break the tension. "Even so, she's still your own mother. She's lying in the hospital right now. You c
