I was under anesthesia when it wore off too early. I couldn’t open my eyes, but I heard my son’s wife tell the surgeon: “If something goes wrong, don’t call her lawyer. Call me first.”

Our Evelyn.

As if I belonged to them.

Over the next week, they moved into my home “to help with recovery.”

Vanessa fired my housekeeper of twenty-two years.

She replaced my nurse with someone she personally selected.

She told visitors I was emotionally unstable. She informed board members that I was confused and shouldn’t be disturbed.

She even tried blocking my attorney, Malcolm Reed, from seeing me.

Unfortunately for her, Malcolm had known me since Daniel still carried toy dinosaurs in his pockets.

I heard Vanessa arguing with him outside my bedroom.

“She’s sleeping.”