Chapter 5 - WHY DORINDA THOUGHT DAD OWED THEM
Dorinda did not think of it as stealing.
That distinction did not help.
It explained.
She believed my father had imposed hidden costs on the marriage from the beginning.
Security.
Public attention.
Family expectations.
Business scrutiny.
Background checks before the wedding.
Separate finances.
Prenup lawyers.
She once told me:
"Preston married a woman whose father can change the weather in a room."
I answered:
"He married me."
Dorinda said:
"Exactly."
After pregnancy, her resentment sharpened.
Dad hired a security consultant to evaluate our home.
We agreed.
The consultant recommended:
New gate controls.
Camera upgrades.
Glass film.
Safe-room improvements? Too much. Better: emergency communications.
Dad offered to pay.
Preston accepted reluctantly.
Dorinda called it:
"Castellani control."
Then three weeks later, she suggested Dad should contribute to the Reeves business because:
"His grandchild’s stability depends on the company."
I laughed.
She did not.
"You think Preston’s career exists separately from your household?"
"Yes."
"It pays for your house."
"So does my work."
"You don't need to work."
That ended the conversation.
I was an interior designer with my own studio.
Smaller income.
Still mine.
Dorinda believed wealth created obligations upward and sideways.
If Dad could spend $50,000 on security, why should a company employing sixty people struggle over payroll?
If the company failed, would stress affect me?
Yes.
Would stress affect pregnancy?
Maybe.
Therefore, in Dorinda’s logic:
Business stabilization was prenatal support.
May you like
The leap was absurd.
To her, it was arithmetic.
