Chapter 7
Calvin Price had always called me his little sister.
That was what made his betrayal so painful.
He was forty years old, charming, and generous whenever people were watching.
At our wedding, he gave a speech about loyalty.
At my baby shower, he bought an expensive crib.
When Marcus left for his first long assignment, Calvin hugged me and said, "Don't worry, Nia. I'll look after you."
I believed him.
Now I wondered whether he had been watching me for an entirely different reason.
The next morning, Denise called.
"Nia, the investigators want to speak with Calvin."
I sat at the kitchen table.
"Have they found him?"
"Not yet."
My stomach tightened.
"Is he missing?"
"We don't know. His attorney has been contacted."
I looked toward my daughters.
They were playing on a blanket near my feet.
Ava was trying to grab Mia's toy.
Mia laughed.
For a moment, their innocent happiness made everything feel normal.
Then Denise continued.
"There's something else you should know."
I closed my eyes.
"What now?"
"Calvin may have been involved in setting up the financial accounts."
I swallowed.
"Using my name?"
"Possibly."
My hands began shaking.
I remembered Calvin visiting our house after the twins were born.
He brought flowers.
Food.
Gifts.
He offered to help with paperwork because Marcus was away.
I had been exhausted.
I barely remembered what I signed.
"Denise," I whispered, "Calvin helped me fill out some forms."
There was a pause.
"What forms?"
"I thought they were for the babies."
"Do you have copies?"
"I don't know."
"Try to remember where you kept them."
I looked toward my mother's kitchen.
My stomach twisted.
I had been so tired.
Two babies.
No husband.
No sleep.
And someone I trusted had offered help.
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I took a breath.
"I'll look."
My mother helped me search through the paperwork I had brought from home.
We found medical records.
Birth certificates.
Insurance letters.
Then I found a folder labeled FAMILY BENEFITS.
Inside were several forms.
One page carried Calvin's handwriting.
Another contained my signature.
I stared at it.
"Mama."
She turned.
"What?"
"I found them."
We called Denise immediately.
She arranged for the documents to be reviewed.
Later that afternoon, I received another message.
This time from Marcus.
NIA, PLEASE LET ME SEE THE GIRLS.
I stared at the screen.
Part of me wanted to throw the phone.
Another part remembered the man who held my hand during childbirth.
The man who cried when Ava was born.
The man who promised he would always protect us.
How could one person be both?
I called Denise.
She advised me to handle parenting arrangements through appropriate legal channels while the investigation continued.
I agreed.
Then I replied to Marcus.
PLEASE CONTACT MY ATTORNEY ABOUT SEEING THE CHILDREN.
He called immediately.
I didn't answer.
He called again.
Then a message appeared.
YOU'RE TURNING MY CHILDREN AGAINST ME.
I stared at it.
My hands stopped shaking.
For the first time, I felt anger stronger than fear.
I typed slowly.
THEY ARE BABIES, MARCUS. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DID. I DO.
Then I put the phone down.
I didn't respond again.
That evening, Vanessa called.
Her voice sounded exhausted.
"Nia, can we talk?"
I hesitated.
"Is everything okay?"
"No."
My stomach tightened.
"What happened?"
"I found something in Marcus's apartment."
I sat upright.
"What?"
"A storage receipt."
I frowned.
"For what?"
"A rented storage unit near the port."
My heart started pounding.
"Was it in his name?"
She hesitated.
"No."
"Whose name?"
"Michael Warren."
I closed my eyes.
The alias.
The same name on the mysterious envelope.
Vanessa continued.
"I called my attorney. She said not to go there myself."
"She's right."
"I know."
Her voice broke.
"But I keep thinking about what might be inside."
I looked toward my daughters.
"Let the investigators handle it."
Vanessa was quiet.
Then she whispered, "Nia, I owe you an apology."
I frowned.
"For what?"
"For the way I looked at you at the harbor."
I remembered her expression.
Shock.
Confusion.
Fear.
"I thought you were some stranger trying to destroy my marriage," she said.
I swallowed.
"I thought the same thing about you."
She gave a broken laugh.
"We were both wrong."
I nodded.
"Yes."
Then she said something that surprised me.
"I don't hate you."
I closed my eyes.
"I don't hate you either."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she whispered, "I think Marcus wanted us to hate each other."
I considered that.
Two women fighting over the same man.
Two women blaming each other.
Two women distracted while money moved through accounts neither understood.
It was possible.
And suddenly, the entire situation seemed even more calculated.
The next morning, investigators obtained access to the storage unit through proper legal procedures.
Rachel called me later that day.
Her voice was serious.
"Nia, they found several items."
I sat down.
"What items?"
"Financial records. Identification documents. Electronic devices."
My heart pounded.
"And?"
"There's also evidence related to multiple shipping contracts."
I swallowed.
"What does that mean?"
"It may help explain how the fraudulent transactions were organized."
I looked at my mother.
She was watching me carefully.
Then Rachel continued.
"One of the documents contains a list of names."
My stomach tightened.
"Whose names?"
She hesitated.
"People connected to the transactions."
I closed my eyes.
"Am I on it?"
"Yes."
My heart stopped.
"Vanessa?"
"Yes."
"Calvin?"
"Yes."
I gripped the phone.
"Marcus?"
Rachel paused.
Then she said, "Yes."
I swallowed.
"Who else?"
There was a long silence.
Then Rachel answered.
"Your mother."
I stared at the wall.
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
My mother stood.
"Nia?"
I looked at her.
My voice barely worked.
"Mama."
She stepped closer.
"What happened?"
I stared at the woman who had spent her entire life protecting me.
And I realized Marcus's lies might have reached the one person I thought he could never hurt.
"You need to sit down," I whispered.
May you like
Because whatever Marcus and Calvin had planned, they hadn't stopped with me.
They had reached into my mother's life too.
