Chapter 5
When Dad learned about the attempted account changes, he stopped speaking.
He sat at Aunt Denise's kitchen table, staring at the documents.
I watched him from the doorway.
For years, I'd believed grown-ups always knew what to do.
But Dad looked lost.
Aunt Denise stood beside him.
"Marcus, you need to eat something."
He shook his head.
"I'm not hungry."
She looked toward me.
I quickly stepped backward.
I didn't want Dad to know I'd been listening.
But he noticed.
"Nia?"
I froze.
He opened his arms.
"Come here, sweetheart."
I approached slowly.
He pulled out the chair beside him.
I sat down.
For a moment, he just looked at me.
Then he said, "Your mother's money is safe."
My eyes filled.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"The attempted changes were stopped."
I exhaled.
I hadn't realized how frightened I'd been until he said those words.
Dad continued.
"And I'm working with the attorney to make sure nobody can access those funds improperly."
I looked down.
"Vanessa said Mommy's money should belong to everyone."
Dad's face tightened.
"She said that?"
I nodded.
"She said it wasn't fair that I had savings when Jordan and Chloe didn't."
He closed his eyes.
I continued.
"She said good sisters share."
Dad took a shaky breath.
"Nia, sharing is something you choose. It isn't something someone forces you to do."
I swallowed.
"She said I was selfish."
He shook his head.
"You weren't selfish."
My tears began falling.
"Then why did she keep saying it?"
Dad pulled me into his arms.
"I don't know why she treated you that way."
His voice broke.
"But it was wrong."
For the first time, I heard him say those words without hesitation.
Wrong.
Not complicated.
Not a misunderstanding.
Wrong.
Over the next several days, investigators continued reviewing Vanessa's actions.
The smartphone recording had been preserved.
The notebook had been collected.
Financial institutions provided records of the attempted changes.
Dad's attorney helped him secure the accounts and replace compromised credentials.
I didn't understand most of the legal details.
But I understood one thing.
People were finally listening.
Then something happened that frightened me.
Jordan came home from school crying.
He'd been staying with Vanessa's sister during part of the week while adults worked out temporary arrangements for him and Chloe.
When Dad brought him to Aunt Denise's house, he looked miserable.
I found him sitting on the stairs.
"Jordan?"
He wiped his face.
"Go away."
I stopped.
"Did I do something?"
He shook his head.
Then he began crying harder.
I sat two steps below him.
We stayed quiet for a while.
Finally, he whispered, "Mommy says you ruined everything."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
He looked at me.
"She said Daddy doesn't love her anymore because you told lies."
My chest tightened.
I felt the old fear returning.
Maybe Vanessa was right.
Maybe I had destroyed our family.
Jordan wiped his nose.
"But I know you didn't lie."
I looked up.
He continued.
"I saw her grab you."
My eyes filled.
He looked frightened.
"And sometimes she scared me too."
I moved closer.
"Did she hurt you?"
He shook his head.
"She yelled a lot."
I held his hand.
He squeezed it tightly.
"Are we still brother and sister?"
My heart broke.
"Of course."
He looked up.
"Even if Mommy and Daddy don't live together?"
I nodded.
"Always."
He began crying.
I hugged him.
For several minutes, we sat on the stairs holding each other.
Then Dad appeared.
He stopped when he saw us.
His eyes filled.
He sat beside Jordan.
"Buddy?"
Jordan looked at him.
"Are you getting divorced?"
Dad took a breath.
"Vanessa and I are living separately, and we're working through what happens next."
Jordan lowered his head.
"Did Nia cause it?"
Dad immediately shook his head.
"No."
He looked at both of us.
"The adults are responsible for their own choices."
Jordan began crying again.
Dad pulled us both close.
"You haven't done anything wrong."
I leaned against him.
For a moment, it felt like we were holding together the pieces of something broken.
But I was no longer sure whether the old family could ever exist again.
That evening, Dad had a meeting with the children's guardian ad litem, a person appointed to help the court understand what arrangements would protect the children's interests.
I didn't attend the whole meeting.
But afterward, Dad explained that Jordan and Chloe would be given opportunities to speak safely about their experiences.
He also told us that none of us would be asked to choose which parent to love.
I was relieved.
Because Jordan and Chloe loved Vanessa.
And I didn't want them to feel guilty for that.
A week later, Detective Brooks returned with news.
The financial investigation had found evidence suggesting Vanessa had knowingly provided false information in the attempted account changes.
She had also tried to use documents bearing my signature to support requests I couldn't legally authorize.
Dad looked devastated.
I sat beside him while the detective explained what would happen next.
The records would be reviewed by prosecutors.
The child welfare investigation would continue separately.
And Dad would be given updates through the appropriate channels.
After she left, he went outside.
I watched him stand alone in the backyard.
His shoulders were hunched.
I wanted to comfort him.
But I didn't know how.
Aunt Denise joined me at the window.
"He's hurting," I whispered.
She nodded.
"Yes."
"Because he loves Vanessa?"
"Because he trusted her, and because all the children have been hurt."
I looked down.
"Do you think he wishes I hadn't said anything?"
Aunt Denise turned toward me immediately.
"No."
I swallowed.
"How do you know?"
She took my hand.
"Because he told me that the worst thing would have been letting it continue."
My eyes filled.
We stood quietly.
Then Dad came back inside.
He looked tired.
But when he saw me, he smiled.
"Want to help me make dinner?"
I blinked.
"Really?"
"Really."
I followed him into the kitchen.
We made spaghetti.
He let me stir the sauce.
He asked about school.
He listened when I talked about my friend Maya.
For the first time in months, dinner felt ordinary.
I hadn't realized how much I'd missed ordinary.
Then Dad's phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
"Vanessa?"
My stomach tightened.
I set down the spoon.
Dad listened silently.
Then he said, "You need to discuss that through our attorneys."
A pause.
"No, you cannot ask Nia to withdraw what she said."
My heart began pounding.
Another pause.
Dad's voice hardened.
"Don't contact her directly."
He ended the call.
I stared at him.
"What did she want?"
He hesitated.
Then he knelt beside me.
"She wanted me to ask you to say the video was misunderstood."
My stomach dropped.
"Was it?"
He shook his head.
"No."
I looked at him.
"Did you tell her?"
"Yes."
I swallowed.
"Is she mad?"
Dad took my hand.
"Her feelings are not your responsibility."
I nodded.
But then he said something that made me freeze.
"Nia, there's another part of the notebook."
I stared at him.
"What part?"
He looked deeply upset.
"Vanessa wrote about a plan to send you to live somewhere else."
My breath stopped.
"Where?"
Dad swallowed.
"With relatives you barely know."
I felt tears rushing into my eyes.
"Was she going to make me leave?"
He pulled me close.
"She tried to convince me it would be better for everyone."
My body shook.
"And I told her no."
I stared at him.
"You did?"
He nodded.
"Months ago."
I couldn't speak.
For so long, I'd believed Dad would agree if Vanessa pushed hard enough.
But he had refused.
He held my face gently.
"You were never going to be sent away."
I began crying.
Then he whispered, "But I should have realized how much it frightened you."
He hugged me.
"I'm sorry I didn't protect you sooner."
I held onto him.
And for the first time, I began believing that maybe our family could become something safe again.
May you like
Not the family Vanessa wanted to show the world.
A real one.
