Chapter 3
I spent my wedding night in a hotel suite overlooking Atlanta, staring at two messages from my sister.
Mom will lose everything.
Ask her what happened to Grandma's house.
Marcus sat beside me.
He had removed his tuxedo jacket.
His tie lay across the chair.
For the first time since our ceremony, the room was quiet.
He reached for my hand.
"Do you want to talk?"
I stared at the messages.
"I don't understand."
He waited.
"Grandma's house was sold after she died."
Marcus nodded.
"That's what your mother told you."
I looked at him.
"She said the money paid medical debts."
"Did you ever see the records?"
I shook my head.
"No."
He gently squeezed my fingers.
"Then we need to find out what happened."
I leaned against him.
For months, I'd imagined our wedding night would be filled with laughter.
We'd planned to order room service.
Watch the city lights.
Talk about our honeymoon.
Instead, I was wondering whether my mother had lied to me for years.
Marcus kissed my forehead.
"We don't have to investigate tonight."
I looked at him.
"I don't know how to stop thinking about it."
He pulled me closer.
"Then don't force yourself. Just remember you're not alone anymore."
I closed my eyes.
Those words helped more than he knew.
The next morning, Aunt Lorraine called.
Her voice sounded serious.
"Nia, sweetheart, can you come see me?"
I looked toward Marcus.
"Of course."
"Bring your husband."
My stomach tightened.
"Is something wrong?"
Lorraine hesitated.
"There's something your grandmother asked me to keep."
I sat upright.
"What?"
"A letter."
My heart stopped.
"From Grandma?"
"Yes."
I covered my mouth.
Lorraine continued.
"She told me to give it to you if there was ever a dispute over the estate."
I could barely breathe.
"Why didn't you give it to me before?"
There was a long pause.
"Because I believed Diane had honored her wishes."
I closed my eyes.
"We'll come."
Two hours later, Marcus and I arrived at Lorraine's house.
She lived in a quiet neighborhood outside Atlanta.
Her home smelled of fresh coffee and cinnamon.
She hugged me tightly.
"Oh, baby."
I began crying immediately.
She held me.
"I'm sorry your wedding was hurt by all this."
I shook my head.
"Vanessa hurt it. Not you."
Lorraine pulled back.
Her eyes filled.
"You sound more like your grandmother every day."
My throat tightened.
She led us into the living room.
On the coffee table sat a wooden box.
I recognized it.
Grandma used to keep old photographs inside.
Lorraine opened it.
Then she removed a sealed envelope.
Across the front was my name.
NIA.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
My hands shook as I opened it.
My darling Nia,
If you're reading this, something has gone wrong.
I hoped your mother would honor the arrangements I made for you and Vanessa.
I wanted both of my granddaughters to have opportunities.
But I also knew that your sister sometimes mistook love for entitlement.
You must never allow anyone to convince you that fairness is cruelty.
I worked hard for what I built.
I left instructions to protect both of you.
Your inheritance is not a gift from your mother.
It is my final promise to you.
Use it to build a life where you never have to beg for permission to be happy.
And remember, sweetheart, love should never require you to disappear.
Grandma.
By the time I finished reading, I was crying.
Marcus wrapped an arm around me.
Lorraine wiped her eyes.
"Your grandmother adored you."
I nodded.
"I miss her so much."
Lorraine reached into the box again.
She removed a folder.
"These are copies of the trust documents she gave me."
I looked up.
"Why did she give you copies?"
"She worried Diane might favor Vanessa."
My chest tightened.
Even Grandma had seen it.
The favoritism.
The manipulation.
The way my mother always chose my sister.
Lorraine continued.
"Your grandmother wanted me to have a record in case anyone questioned her wishes."
Marcus opened the folder.
He read carefully.
Then he looked at Lorraine.
"Was Diane a trustee?"
Lorraine nodded.
"She was appointed to help administer the trust alongside a financial institution."
I felt sick.
"Then Mom controlled my money?"
"Not alone. But she had responsibilities."
Marcus turned another page.
"Nia's share became distributable at twenty-five."
I closed my eyes.
Three years.
For three years, I'd worked extra shifts.
Saved every dollar.
Struggled to pay for our wedding.
And believed my grandmother had left me nothing.
I looked at Lorraine.
"What happened to Grandma's house?"
Her expression changed.
"That's the part I don't understand."
My heart pounded.
She continued.
"The property was supposed to be held temporarily, then sold or distributed according to the trust."
I swallowed.
"Mom told me it was sold."
Lorraine shook her head.
"I checked the property records last year."
I leaned forward.
"And?"
"The house was never sold to an outside buyer."
My stomach tightened.
"Then who owns it?"
Lorraine looked directly at me.
"According to the records, it was transferred to a company connected to Vanessa."
I couldn't breathe.
Marcus closed the folder.
Then Lorraine said something even worse.
"And Nia, that transfer appears to have happened six months after your grandmother died."
I stared at her.
"How?"
Lorraine lowered her eyes.
"That's what we need to find out."
My phone rang.
Diane.
I looked at the screen.
For a moment, I considered ignoring it.
Then I answered.
"Mom?"
Her voice trembled.
"Nia, please come home."
I closed my eyes.
"Why?"
May you like
She began crying.
"Because Vanessa is threatening to tell everyone what I did."
