Chapter 5
Nick held his grandfather's letter as though it might fall apart in his hands.
We were sitting in Daniel's office two days after our wedding.
Grace sat beside us.
My mother waited near the window.
The envelope was yellowed with age.
Across the front, in Richard Bennett's careful handwriting, were the words Nick had already heard over the phone.
For my grandson, when he is ready to learn why our family was broken.
Daniel had obtained a copy through the document-preservation process.
He gave Nick a quiet nod.
"Take your time."
Nick opened the envelope.
Inside were three pages.
He began reading aloud.
"My dear Nicholas, if you are holding this letter, then something has happened that finally made you question the story our family has told."
Nick stopped.
His voice was trembling.
I placed my hand over his.
He continued.
"I loved both my daughters, and I failed one of them terribly."
Grace covered her mouth.
Nick swallowed.
"When Grace was accused of taking money from the company, I believed Martha because I believed the older daughter I had trusted for years."
He looked up.
Tears were already gathering in his eyes.
Grace nodded.
"Keep reading."
"Years later, I discovered records that contradicted Martha's accusations. By then, I was ashamed, frightened, and too proud to admit what I had done."
Nick paused again.
I watched Grace grip the edge of her chair.
The letter continued.
"I began investigating quietly. What I found suggested that Grace's ownership interest had been transferred through documents she never signed."
Nick's voice cracked.
"I should have acted sooner. Instead, I let fear of scandal become more important than justice."
He lowered the page.
For a long moment, nobody spoke.
Finally, Grace whispered, "He knew."
Daniel nodded gently.
"He appears to have reached that conclusion before his death."
Nick looked at his aunt.
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"You weren't responsible."
"But I believed Mom."
"You were a child."
Nick stared at the floor.
"She told me you were selfish. That you tried to destroy the family."
Grace's eyes filled.
"I know."
"She told me you never wanted to meet me."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Oh, Nicholas."
She reached across the table.
"I sent you birthday cards every year until you turned twenty-one."
Nick began crying.
Not quietly.
Not the way men in his family were expected to cry.
He bent forward, covered his face, and sobbed.
Grace moved beside him.
She wrapped her arms around her nephew.
I watched thirty years of someone else's cruelty settle over both of them.
And I understood why Martha had been so desperate to keep Grace away.
She had not only stolen money.
She had stolen relationships.
When Nick finally lifted his head, he looked at Daniel.
"What happens now?"
Daniel folded his hands.
"The letter may help establish what Richard believed, but we'll still need independent records and authentication. We must separate suspicion from what can be proven."
Grace nodded.
"I understand."
"Meanwhile, we have the documents recovered from storage, earlier correspondence, and Vanessa's information about Helen's involvement."
At the mention of Vanessa, my phone buzzed.
She had sent me a message.
EMILY, I NEED TO TALK TO YOU. MY MOTHER KNOWS I SPOKE TO YOU.
I showed Nick.
His expression darkened.
I typed back.
ARE YOU SAFE?
Her response appeared immediately.
FOR NOW.
Then another message.
SHE'S THREATENING TO CUT ME OFF IF I DON'T TELL EVERYONE YOU LIED.
I stared at the screen.
For years, I'd assumed Vanessa was Martha's willing accomplice.
But the more I learned, the more I realized she had lived beneath the same controlling expectations that had nearly suffocated Nick.
I called her.
She answered after one ring.
"Emily?"
"Where are you?"
"At my apartment."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
Her voice broke.
"My mother took my car keys. She said I was embarrassing the family."
I felt a sharp twist of sympathy.
"Vanessa, you're an adult."
"I know."
"Then she doesn't get to decide who you speak to."
She started crying.
"You don't understand. She's paid for everything since I was born."
I looked at Nick.
He was listening quietly.
"What do you want to do?" I asked.
Vanessa took a shaking breath.
"I want to tell the truth."
"Then tell it."
There was silence.
Then she whispered, "There's something I never told you."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"When Nick and I were teenagers, our mothers arranged a summer trip together."
I remembered it.
Nick had told me he was forced to spend two weeks at a resort with family friends.
Vanessa continued.
"They made me promise I'd try to convince him to leave you."
I closed my eyes.
"I know."
"No, Emily. There's more."
She hesitated.
"My mother offered me money if I could get Nick to propose to me before graduation."
Nick went rigid.
"What?"
Vanessa heard him.
"Nick, I'm sorry."
He said nothing.
"I refused," she whispered.
"Because even back then, I knew you loved Emily."
I felt tears fill my eyes.
For years, Martha had described Vanessa as the perfect woman.
Now I was learning she'd been another pawn.
Vanessa continued.
"Last night, my mother said something about the company."
"What?"
"She said Martha's first mistake was trusting Richard to forget."
Grace straightened.
"Did she say anything else?"
"She said there's one person who knows how the old signatures were created."
Daniel leaned forward.
"Who?"
Vanessa hesitated.
"My mother's former assistant."
"What is her name?" Daniel asked.
"Patricia Lane."
Grace went completely still.
I turned toward her.
"Do you know her?"
Grace nodded slowly.
"She worked for Helen during the year my inheritance disappeared."
Vanessa lowered her voice.
"My mother said Patricia kept copies of everything."
Daniel exchanged a look with Grace.
"Do you know where she is?"
Vanessa paused.
"Yes."
My pulse quickened.
"Where?"
"She's living outside Portland."
Then Vanessa said something that made everyone stop breathing.
"She contacted my mother last month."
"And?" Nick asked.
Vanessa's voice became almost inaudible.
"She said she was dying."
May you like
I stared at the phone.
"And before she dies, she wants to confess what they made her do."
