I felt my heart skip a beat. Richard has always been ambitious, but I had trusted him, believed that his business aspirations were just that—a desire for success. But as Sarah’s words sank in, the reality of the situation began to unravel before me.

“What do you mean, something bad?” I pressed, my voice trembling as I tried to comprehend the gravity of her revelation.

“Illegal things, Mom. They’re involved in some sort of scheme, and I overheard them talking about needing to get rid of

Obstacles,” she said, her voice breaking. “I don’t know exactly what it means, but I heard Dad mention something about you being a ‘liability’ if things went wrong.”