The next morning, I took the transfer receipts to my bank. The account numbers led back to an old savings account I had opened years earlier when Mom helped me manage money after college. I had forgotten she was still listed as an authorized signer. Over the previous year, nearly $5,000 had been withdrawn from that account and sent to Lauren with my name written in the payment notes.
When I confronted Mom, she admitted everything. Wesley had fallen behind before, and she was terrified Lauren would take him back to court. Instead of using her own money, Mom decided that because I had “more than enough,” taking from my savings was basically the same as me helping voluntarily. Wesley claimed he thought I had agreed to it. I did not believe him.
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