She realized then that establishing clear boundaries did not eliminate love, because it merely ended a destructive habit that had been damaging both their lives.
With experienced legal guidance, she claimed her enormous lottery winnings, paid all required taxes, and cleared her own personal debts. She recovered the treasured sewing machine she had pawned, renovated her aging Pinecrest home, and placed the remaining money under professional asset management. Spencer would have no access to the principal capital.
When Spencer discovered how the trust had been structured, he showed up at her house furious.
“Do you honestly believe I would attempt to steal from you again?” Spencer yelled.
“I believe you are still learning how not to,” Abigail replied calmly.
“You are never going to forgive me for what happened,” Spencer said bitterly.
“Forgiving you does not mean giving you the combination to the safe,” Abigail stated.
Spencer struck his fist against the wooden table and v@nished for nearly an entire month. Abigail wept privately in her bedroom, but she refused to alter any terms of the trust agreement.
Gradually, Spencer began fulfilling his responsibilities. He completed his medical rehabilitation, accepted small graphic design assignments, and learned how to separate personal expenses from business costs.
Every single week, he deposited a modest sum into the bank toward repaying his debts.
While completing his court ordered community service, Spencer met an elderly widower named Thomas, whose children had sold his home by using a forged power of attorney.
“I raised my children believing I should never refuse them anything,” Thomas told Spencer one afternoon. “By the time I finally told them no, they had already learned to take whatever they wanted without permission.”
That same evening, Spencer phoned his mother.
“Are you feeling okay, Mom?” Spencer asked softly.
“Yes, I am doing fine,” Abigail replied. “Do you need anything this evening?”
“No, I only wanted to see how you were doing,” Spencer said.
It was the first conversation they had shared in years where he did not ask her for money.
Six months later, Spencer came to Abigail’s home carrying a vivid pink bougainvillea plant along with an official bank receipt.
“This is the first complete debt payment I have made entirely from money I earned myself,” Spencer said proudly.
The figure shown on the receipt was tiny compared with his overall debt.
“Then it definitely is not a small accomplishment,” Abigail replied with a smile.
Spencer stayed standing near the doorway, looking slightly uneasy.
“Naomi was right about everything back then,” Spencer admitted quietly. “I knew I was exploiting you, but I kept convincing myself it was not serious because you always rescued me.”
“I made my own mistakes as well,” Abigail admitted. “I rescued you so many times that I taught you to believe you would never need to rescue yourself.”
“Do you still love me?” Spencer asked quietly.
Abigail looked directly into his eyes without blinking. “I never stopped loving you, Spencer. What I stopped doing was allowing you to hurt me.”
Spencer sat across from her at the table. “At first, I hated you for refusing to pay my creditors. I genuinely believed that a mother with twenty million dollars was heartless if she allowed her son to face a court trial.”
“And what do you believe now?” Abigail asked.
