Chapter 7
I didn't answer Mom's calls for three days.
Every time her name appeared on my phone, my chest tightened.
I wanted to believe she hadn't known.
That Marcus had manipulated her.
That she'd been frightened.
But the bank had identified an account in her name.
And someone had attempted to move money there.
I couldn't ignore that.
On the fourth morning, I asked Angela to arrange a meeting.
Not at our old house.
Not somewhere Marcus could interrupt.
At her office.
Mom arrived wearing a simple blue dress.
Her eyes were swollen.
She looked older than she had at graduation.
For a moment, I wanted to hug her.
Then I remembered the years of lies.
I stayed seated.
Mom looked at Arthur.
Then at Angela.
Finally, she looked at me.
"Maya."
I nodded.
"Hi, Mom."
She began crying.
"I miss you."
My throat tightened.
"I miss parts of you too."
Her face crumpled.
I continued.
"But I need answers."
She nodded.
"I know."
Angela explained that we were there to discuss the account records.
Mom listened quietly.
Then I asked the question I'd been carrying for days.
"Did you know Marcus was using my education money?"
Her eyes filled.
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
The answer hurt more than I expected.
"How much did you know?"
She swallowed.
"Not everything."
I looked at her.
"Then tell me what you did know."
She took a shaky breath.
"Marcus said the dealership needed temporary help."
I stared.
"He borrowed from my account?"
She nodded.
"He promised to pay it back."
My chest tightened.
"When?"
"Years ago."
I swallowed.
"And he kept taking more?"
She began crying.
"Yes."
I looked down.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I asked, "Why didn't you stop him?"
She covered her face.
"I was afraid he'd leave."
The room went silent.
I stared at my mother.
The same woman who'd kept Arthur away because she feared losing my love.
Now she was admitting she'd allowed Marcus to use my money because she feared losing him.
I felt something inside me break.
"Mom, why was everybody's happiness more important than mine?"
She started sobbing.
I continued.
"You were afraid Dad would take me away."
She nodded.
"You were afraid Marcus would leave."
She nodded again.
I swallowed.
"Did you ever wonder what I was afraid of?"
She looked up.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
I continued.
"I was afraid my father didn't love me."
My voice cracked.
"I was afraid Marcus would get angry if I asked questions."
I wiped my face.
"And I was afraid you'd stop loving me if I didn't make him happy."
Mom covered her mouth.
For a long time, nobody spoke.
Then she whispered, "I'm sorry."
I shook my head.
"I need more than that."
She nodded.
"I know."
I leaned forward.
"Did you authorize the transfer to your account?"
Mom hesitated.
Then whispered, "Yes."
My heart stopped.
Arthur looked devastated.
Angela remained calm.
"Why, Diane?"
Mom took a shaky breath.
"Marcus told me the original account was being investigated."
I stared.
"He said if the money stayed there, Arthur would take it back."
Arthur closed his eyes.
Mom continued.
"He said moving it temporarily would protect Maya."
I felt anger rising.
"Protect me?"
She nodded weakly.
I stared at her.
"By hiding money from me?"
Mom began crying harder.
"I believed him."
I shook my head.
"Mom, you knew he'd already used my money."
She looked down.
I continued.
"How could you believe moving more was protecting me?"
For the first time, she didn't have an answer.
Then Angela asked whether Mom would provide the relevant messages and bank documents.
She nodded.
"Yes."
I looked up.
"All of them?"
Mom met my eyes.
"All of them."
I swallowed.
"Even if they show what you did?"
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Yes."
For the first time, she wasn't asking me to protect her from consequences.
That mattered.
But it didn't erase the past.
After the meeting, Arthur and I went for a walk.
We stopped at a small park near Angela's office.
I sat beside a pond.
Dad sat next to me.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then I whispered, "I still love her."
Arthur nodded.
"Of course you do."
I looked at him.
"Even after everything."
He smiled sadly.
"Love doesn't disappear just because someone hurts you."
My eyes filled.
"But trust can."
He nodded.
"Yes."
I stared at the water.
"Do you hate her?"
Arthur took a long breath.
"No."
I looked up.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"I'm angry about what happened."
He paused.
"But hatred won't give us back the years we lost."
My throat tightened.
I leaned against him.
For the first time, I understood something important.
Justice didn't require me to stop loving Mom.
It required me to stop pretending her actions were acceptable.
Over the following weeks, Mom provided records through her attorney.
The documents showed repeated discussions about using my education account to support Marcus's dealership.
Some transfers had been described as temporary loans.
Others had no clear supporting authorization.
The attempted transfer to Mom's account was stopped.
The financial investigation continued.
Then one afternoon, Angela called.
Her voice was serious.
"Maya, we've received another set of records."
My stomach tightened.
"What records?"
"Correspondence between Marcus and the bank."
I sat straighter.
"And?"
Angela paused.
"One message is particularly important."
I swallowed.
"What does it say?"
She read a short sentence.
Once Maya turns eighteen, we need to close the account before Arthur gets involved.
I froze.
My eighteenth birthday had been two months before graduation.
Marcus had known that once I became an adult, I might discover the account.
He'd been planning to empty it before I could ask questions.
I looked toward Arthur.
His face was pale.
Then Angela continued.
"We've also found evidence that Marcus knew your father was still trying to contact you."
My heart raced.
"How?"
She took a breath.
"He discussed it with Diane in the same correspondence."
I swallowed.
Then asked, "What did he say?"
Angela hesitated.
"He said that if you met Arthur, the financial arrangement would fall apart."
The room went silent.
I stared at Dad.
And suddenly, I understood why Marcus had knocked the flowers out of his hands.
May you like
It wasn't only jealousy.
He was terrified that my father would tell me the truth.
