Chapter 5
I stared at Vanessa.
"How long?"
She looked past me toward the living room.
"Can we come inside?"
Grandma stepped forward.
"Not until you answer her question."
Vanessa sighed.
"Fine."
She looked at me.
"Six years."
My stomach tightened.
Six years.
That meant Dad had been seeing her when I was sixteen.
Only two years after Mom died.
I swallowed.
"Why did he say you met last year?"
Vanessa shrugged.
"That's something you should ask him."
I stared at her.
"Did you know about Mom's money?"
Her expression changed.
For a second, I saw fear.
Then she lifted her chin.
"I don't know what Marcus told you."
I shook my head.
"I'm asking what you know."
She looked irritated.
"Your father has supported me because he loves me."
My chest tightened.
"With my mother's savings?"
Vanessa crossed her arms.
"Money is complicated."
Grandma's voice sharpened.
"Stealing isn't."
Vanessa looked toward her.
"Excuse me?"
Grandma stepped closer.
"You heard me."
I watched Vanessa's confidence falter.
Then she sighed.
"Marcus said the money was his."
My heart pounded.
"Which money?"
She hesitated.
"Some insurance settlement."
I stared at her.
"That settlement was for me."
Vanessa looked away.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then she said something unbelievable.
"Well, he raised you. Surely he had expenses."
I felt anger rise.
"Expenses?"
She shrugged.
"Children aren't free."
I stared at her.
My mother had worked for years to create that savings account.
She wanted me to attend college.
To build a future.
And Vanessa was standing on our porch explaining why Dad deserved to spend it.
I took a breath.
"Why are you here?"
She looked toward Grandma.
"Marcus asked me to talk some sense into you."
I almost laughed.
"About what?"
"The house."
Grandma folded her arms.
Vanessa continued.
"Marcus and I are starting a family. We need stability."
I stared at her pregnant stomach.
The baby was innocent.
I knew that.
But the words still hurt.
I had been Dad's family for twenty-two years.
Apparently, that no longer counted.
I swallowed.
"And what do you expect me to do?"
Vanessa smiled.
"Be reasonable."
I waited.
She continued.
"Move into your own apartment. Let Marcus and me have the house."
Grandma laughed sharply.
Vanessa looked offended.
"What's funny?"
Grandma shook her head.
"The audacity."
Vanessa's expression hardened.
"Marcus said this property would eventually be his."
Grandma looked at her.
"Eventually isn't today."
I felt a strange calm settle over me.
I looked directly at Vanessa.
"This house belongs to Grandma and me."
She frowned.
"That's what Marcus says you're claiming."
I shook my head.
"It's recorded ownership."
Vanessa stared.
Then looked toward Grandma.
"Is that true?"
Grandma nodded.
"Yes."
For the first time, Vanessa looked genuinely frightened.
She took a step backward.
"Marcus told me—"
"He lied," I interrupted.
My voice didn't shake.
"He lied to you about the house. He lied to me about the mortgage. And he lied about the money."
Vanessa pressed her lips together.
Then whispered, "I need to talk to him."
Grandma stepped aside.
"You're welcome to do that somewhere else."
Vanessa looked at me one last time.
For a moment, I thought she'd apologize.
Instead, she said, "You don't understand how much pressure your father is under."
I stared at her.
"Then maybe he should stop putting that pressure on everyone else."
She left.
Grandma closed the door.
I stood motionless.
Then started crying.
Not because Vanessa had frightened me.
Because she had shown me something painful.
Dad hadn't been planning a temporary change.
He had been planning a future where I no longer belonged.
Grandma held me.
For several minutes, I couldn't speak.
Then she whispered, "Maya, this is why I added you to the deed."
I pulled back.
"What?"
She guided me to the sofa.
Then told me something I'd never known.
A year earlier, Dad had asked Grandma to transfer the entire property to him.
He claimed he needed to refinance.
Grandma refused.
Then he became angry.
He stopped visiting her.
Stopped calling.
And eventually told her she was interfering with his future.
Grandma explained that she'd become worried he might try to pressure her again.
So she met with an attorney.
She reviewed her estate plan.
And decided to make me a co-owner.
I stared at her.
"Why didn't you tell me everything?"
She sighed.
"Because I didn't want to put you in the middle."
My eyes filled.
"But I was already in the middle."
She nodded sadly.
"I know that now."
I reached for her hand.
"Thank you for protecting me."
She smiled.
"You're my granddaughter."
I leaned against her shoulder.
For the first time in days, I felt safe enough to rest.
The following morning, Rebecca called with new information.
She had received additional records from the investment company connected to Mom's savings.
Several payments had been directed toward a business registered under Vanessa's name.
I felt sick.
"What business?"
Rebecca answered.
"Brooks Event Management."
I frowned.
Vanessa had told me she was a wedding planner.
Now I understood where some of her startup money may have come from.
Rebecca continued.
"The records also show a large transfer around the time the business was formed."
My hands tightened.
"How much?"
"Forty thousand dollars."
The exact amount I'd seen on the earlier statement.
I closed my eyes.
Rebecca explained that the documents suggested funds from Mom's account had been used to support Vanessa's company.
Whether Vanessa knew the source would require investigation.
I nodded.
"What happens now?"
"We continue gathering evidence and pursue the appropriate legal process."
Then she paused.
"There's another issue."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"The company appears to have obtained additional financing using a personal guarantee."
I stared ahead.
"Whose guarantee?"
Rebecca took a breath.
"Yours."
I nearly dropped the phone.
"What?"
She continued.
"Your name appears on a loan document."
My heart raced.
"But I never signed anything."
"I understand."
I looked toward Grandma.
My hands began shaking.
Rebecca continued.
"We need to review whether your identity was used without authorization."
I swallowed.
"How much is the loan?"
There was a pause.
Then she answered.
"Seventy-five thousand dollars."
I stared at the wall.
My father hadn't just used my mother's money.
May you like
Someone had apparently borrowed more money using my name.
And suddenly, I realized that even if I kept the house, my financial future could still be in danger.
