Chapter 3: The Money She Never Gave Us

The next day, I went to the cemetery and picked out a plot.

Then I pulled out my debit card.

The machine beeped.

"Transaction declined."

Insufficient funds?

I froze, my fingers trembling as I swiped it again.

The same message appeared.

"We're sorry. Your account has been frozen."

It felt like an invisible hand had closed around my heart.

I called Gwen on instinct.

"The number you have dialed is currently busy."

"The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable."

I dialed again and again until there was nothing left but a flat, mechanical tone.

In desperation, I texted her.

"Gwen, the card's been frozen. That money is for Andy's burial plot. Please unfreeze it."

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed.

I opened it, full of hope, only to find that same familiar AI reply.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

The blood rushed to my head.

I looked at Andy's framed photo nearby, that innocent smile on his face, and something inside me gave way completely.

I scrolled through my contacts, found Pierce's number, and hit call.

The phone was answered almost immediately.

Gwen's voice came through, low and soft.

"Hello. I'm Pierce's partner. He's not feeling well, and he's resting right now. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

I could hear the gentle sound of ocean waves in the background.

"Gwen, is that you? You froze the card, didn't you? Unfreeze it. That money is for Andy's funeral!"

I was screaming, my voice echoing across the cemetery, drawing stares from everyone around me.

The other end of the line went silent for two seconds before she let out an impatient scoff.

"Liam, what is it now? I put a spending limit on the card because I was worried you'd blow through the money."

I felt like I'd fallen through ice.

"That's my savings. It's to bury our son."

"Liam, can you stop making a scene?" Her voice dripped with undisguised contempt.

"Pierce is in a bad place emotionally, so I'm taking him to the Azurine Islands for a few days to clear his head. Because of your interference, he's been guilt-ridden and can barely sleep at night. The spending limit is to keep you from wasting money. I'm doing this for the family."

My throat burned with something bitter, and the words tore out of me.

"Gwen, Andy is dead. He's lying in the morgue without so much as a burial plot. Are you trying to destroy what's left of us?"

"Enough!" She cut me off, her voice sharp and full of scorn.

"Liam, I never thought you were this kind of person. You'd curse your own child over money? I sent the blood over on time. It was a little delayed on the way, sure, but the doctor said as long as he got the transfusion, he'd be fine. You keep insisting he's dead. What are you really after?"

"I'm not lying to you. Andy is really gone. He died last night."

I was on my knees, clutching the phone with everything I had.

On the other end, Gwen's voice hesitated.

Then I heard Pierce's voice drifting closer.

"Gwen? What's wrong? Who's on the phone?"

"Nobody. Just some lunatic." Gwen's voice turned warm in an instant.

Then she turned cold again, speaking to me.

"Liam, if you're that strapped for cash, I'll have Pierce wire you 20 thousand dollars when I get a chance. Make do with that for now. And stop calling this number. Pierce needs his rest."

"No! You can't tell me you've forgotten what happened to Andy. Call the hospital and ask!"

I was practically begging.

Pierce sounded surprised.

"Gwen, I just remembered, a friend of mine is the PTA president at Andy's preschool. I'm pretty sure she said they had class today like normal, and Andy even got a gold star. How could he be dead?"

My mind went completely blank.

"Did you hear that, Liam?" Gwen's voice turned ice-cold.

"How long are you going to keep up this act? You'd go this far over a little money? You're out of your mind. You can't even make up a convincing lie."

"I'm not... That was last week... Andy was in a car accident yesterday!" I tried to explain, but I could barely get the words out.

"Shut up!" Gwen snarled.

"Liam, you genuinely disgust me. Don't bother us again. Just stay home and take care of Andy."

The line went dead.

I called back over and over, but all I got was a flat tone and a recording.

"The number you have dialed is currently switched off."

She'd blocked me.

I sat slumped against a headstone while the wind swept through the overgrown grass with a sound like weeping.