Chapter 4
I barely slept that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the financial document.
Four hundred eighty thousand dollars.
Transfers.
Withdrawals.
Marcus's name.
I kept thinking about all the things my stepfather had refused to buy me.
The laptop I needed for school.
The summer engineering program I'd wanted to attend.
The college application fees he complained about.
Whenever I asked for something, Marcus said the same thing.
"Money doesn't grow on trees, Maya."
Now I wondered how much money he'd been taking while telling me we couldn't afford anything.
At seven the next morning, Arthur knocked gently.
"Sweetheart?"
I sat up.
"Come in."
He entered carrying a tray.
Pancakes.
Scrambled eggs.
Orange juice.
My eyes filled immediately.
He smiled nervously.
"I wasn't sure what you liked."
I laughed through tears.
"Everything on that tray."
His face softened.
"Good."
He placed it beside me.
Then sat on the chair near the window.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I looked at him.
"Did you always cook?"
He smiled.
"Your mother used to say I made the best pancakes in Georgia."
My chest tightened.
I stared at my plate.
"She never told me that."
Arthur's expression changed.
He looked down.
I swallowed.
"Can I ask something?"
"Anything."
"Did you love Mom?"
He took a slow breath.
"Very much."
I nodded.
"Then why did you separate?"
He looked toward the window.
"We were young. We wanted different things."
I listened.
"Your mother wanted stability and a bigger house. I was working long hours trying to build my plumbing business."
He smiled sadly.
"We argued. Too much."
I swallowed.
"Did you ever hurt her?"
He looked directly at me.
"No."
His answer was immediate.
"Never physically. But we said things that hurt each other."
I nodded.
He continued.
"Then we separated. I thought we'd find a way to raise you together."
My eyes filled.
"But Marcus came."
Arthur nodded.
"Yes."
I stared at him.
"Did Mom marry him because he had money?"
Arthur hesitated.
"I can't tell you what was in her heart."
I appreciated that.
He wasn't trying to make Mom look worse.
He was simply telling me what he knew.
Then he said, "What matters now is finding out what happened to your account."
I nodded.
"Okay."
We met Angela at her office that afternoon.
She was a Black woman in her fifties with short natural curls and a calm voice.
She looked at me kindly.
"Maya, I'm glad you're here."
I nodded.
"Thank you."
She placed a thick folder on the table.
Then explained that Arthur had made child-support payments through formal channels for years.
He had also funded a separate education account established for my benefit.
The account was supposed to support school expenses and eventually help with college.
I looked at the summary.
"How much did Dad put in?"
Angela turned the page.
"Over the years, including investment growth, the total reached approximately six hundred thousand dollars."
My eyes widened.
"Six hundred thousand?"
Arthur looked down.
"I wanted you to have opportunities."
My throat tightened.
I stared at him.
He'd worked as a plumber.
Owned a small business.
Saved carefully.
All while my family told me he was irresponsible.
I looked at Angela.
"Where did the money go?"
She took a breath.
"Some was spent on expenses that may have been appropriate. Others require explanation."
I nodded.
She pointed toward a series of transfers.
"These withdrawals were made through an account managed by Diane and Marcus."
My stomach tightened.
"Both of them?"
Angela nodded.
"The records indicate they had access under the account's former administrative arrangements."
I stared at the page.
Some withdrawals were small.
Five hundred dollars.
Two thousand.
Then larger amounts.
Ten thousand.
Twenty-five thousand.
One transfer was sixty thousand dollars.
I looked up.
"What was that for?"
Angela examined the entry.
"It was sent to a business account connected to Marcus."
My chest tightened.
His car dealership.
Marcus owned a small luxury auto dealership.
For years, he'd told everyone he built it without help.
I stared at the transfer.
"He used my college money for his business?"
Angela answered carefully.
"That's one possibility. We need the supporting records."
I nodded.
Then she showed me another payment.
Forty thousand dollars.
The date matched the year Mom and Marcus renovated our kitchen.
I remembered marble countertops.
New cabinets.
A chandelier.
Marcus telling guests he'd paid for everything himself.
I felt sick.
"What if they used my money for the house?"
Angela looked at me.
"Then we'll determine whether those expenditures were authorized and whether repayment is required."
I stared at my hands.
For years, Marcus made me feel like I owed him everything.
Now I was wondering whether I'd been paying for his lifestyle without knowing.
Arthur gently touched my shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
I shook my head.
"No."
My voice broke.
"I thought I was lucky they let me live there."
His eyes filled.
I continued.
"Marcus said I should be grateful he bought my clothes."
I swallowed.
"But Dad was sending money for me the whole time."
Arthur looked devastated.
I covered my face.
"I feel so stupid."
He immediately shook his head.
"No, Maya."
I looked up.
"You were a child."
His voice cracked.
"You trusted the adults raising you. That's what children are supposed to be able to do."
I started crying harder.
Angela gave me a moment.
Then she continued.
"There's one more issue."
I wiped my cheeks.
"What?"
She placed another document on the table.
It was a request to close the education account and transfer its remaining balance.
I stared at the date.
Yesterday.
I swallowed.
"Who signed it?"
Angela pointed toward the bottom.
My name.
Maya Bennett.
I froze.
"What?"
She looked at me.
"Did you authorize this request?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Did you sign it?"
"No."
My voice rose.
"I was getting ready for graduation yesterday!"
Arthur leaned forward.
Angela nodded.
"Then the signature needs to be investigated."
I stared at the page.
Someone had signed my name.
Someone had tried to empty the account.
And they'd done it just before I turned eighteen.
I felt anger rising.
Not the frightened kind.
Something stronger.
I looked toward Arthur.
"Dad, I want the truth."
He nodded.
"So do I."
I turned toward Angela.
"Then let's find out who did this."
She closed the folder.
"We will."
But before our meeting ended, my phone vibrated.
A message from Mom.
Maya, please don't let Arthur destroy our family over money.
I stared at it.
Then another message appeared.
Marcus knows what you found. He's furious.
My stomach tightened.
I showed Dad.
His expression changed.
Then my phone rang.
Marcus.
I stared at the screen.
For the first time, I didn't feel obligated to answer.
I declined the call.
A moment later, he left a voicemail.
I played it.
His voice filled the room.
"Maya, you have until tonight to come home and stop this nonsense."
He paused.
Then added something that made my blood run cold.
"Otherwise, don't expect your mother to protect you."
I looked toward Arthur.
May you like
His eyes hardened.
And suddenly, I knew the financial investigation wasn't going to be the only battle we faced.
