Chapter 3
"That's impossible."
I heard myself say the words before I understood them.
I had never applied for a loan.
I didn't even have a credit card.
Grandma placed the bank notification in front of me.
There was my name.
My date of birth.
An address I recognized.
And a signature that looked almost like mine.
Almost.
The person who had written it had copied the curved M I used when signing school forms.
But they had made one mistake.
My middle initial was missing.
"I didn't sign this."
My mother reached for the paper.
"Let me see."
Grandma held it away.
"Don't touch it."
"Mom, I'm not a criminal!"
"Then explain what I'm looking at."
Claire turned toward Marcus.
He was standing near the hallway with his phone in his hand.
"Marcus?"
He sighed.
"It's just a preliminary application."
My mother's face drained of color.
"What application?"
"I was exploring options."
"Options for what?"
"Consolidating our debt."
Grandma's voice became sharp.
"With property you don't own?"
Marcus looked irritated.
"I thought Claire had an interest in the house."
My mother shook her head.
"You knew it belonged to Maya and Mom."
"I knew there was complicated paperwork."
"Marcus!"
He stepped closer.
"Claire, please don't do this in front of everyone."
Everyone.
There were only four of us in that room.
But he still wanted to pretend the problem was embarrassment rather than fraud.
I stood.
"Where did you get my information?"
Marcus looked at me as though I had interrupted an adult conversation.
"That's not important."
"It is to me."
"Maya, calm down."
I took another step.
"You used my name."
He didn't answer.
"You tried to borrow money using my house."
"Maya," my mother warned.
I turned toward her.
"No. You don't get to silence me anymore."
Grandma gently squeezed my shoulder.
Then she looked at Marcus.
"If you have nothing to hide, you won't object to us contacting the lender."
His expression changed.
"You don't understand how these things work."
"Then explain."
"The application hasn't been approved."
"That wasn't my question."
Marcus dragged a hand across his face.
Finally, he pointed at Grandma.
"You've been looking for a reason to break up this family since I married Claire."
Grandma didn't flinch.
"You have confused being questioned with being persecuted."
He walked toward the kitchen.
My mother followed him.
I could hear them whispering.
Then Claire shouted.
"You told me that money came from your business!"
Grandma and I exchanged a look.
A moment later, something shattered.
I rushed to the kitchen doorway.
Marcus had thrown a glass into the sink.
My mother stood across from him.
"What business?" she demanded.
"Not now."
"You said the company had investors."
"It does."
"Then why are you trying to mortgage my daughter's house?"
Marcus lowered his voice.
"Because we need cash."
"For what?"
He stared at her.
"To keep everything from collapsing."
I had never seen my mother look frightened of him before.
Grandma stepped forward.
"That's enough."
Marcus gave a bitter laugh.
"Of course. Evelyn saves the day again."
Grandma ignored him.
"Claire, Maya is coming home with me tonight."
My mother shook her head.
"She's not leaving."
I stared at her.
"An hour ago, you wanted me gone."
"That's different."
"How?"
"Because you're my daughter!"
The words almost made me laugh.
I had spent years begging her to remember that.
Now she was using it to keep me from leaving.
Grandma looked at me.
"The choice is yours, sweetheart."
I didn't hesitate.
"I'm going with you."
My mother's eyes filled with tears.
"Maya, please."
I walked past her.
For once, I didn't apologize.
I went upstairs and grabbed a duffel bag.
Clothes.
My school laptop.
My graduation dress.
A framed photograph of my father holding me when I was little.
And the small silver bracelet he had given me.
I packed everything important in less than ten minutes.
When I returned downstairs, Marcus was gone.
My mother sat on the sofa.
She looked exhausted.
"Maya," she whispered.
I stopped.
She glanced toward the birthday cake.
"I really did want today to be special."
I stared at the untouched candles.
"Then why did you give me an eviction notice?"
She started crying.
"Because Marcus said you needed to learn independence."
I felt a sickening twist in my stomach.
"You didn't even come up with it yourself?"
She covered her face.
"He said it was time."
"Did you want me gone?"
She didn't answer.
That hurt more than anything.
Grandma waited beside the front door.
I walked toward her.
Then my mother called my name.
"Maya, wait."
She stood.
"I made mistakes. But everything I've done has been for this family."
I looked at her.
"Does that include whatever happened to Dad's money?"
Her face crumpled.
I waited.
She whispered, "I don't know how to explain."
"Try."
"I can't."
That was her answer.
Grandma opened the door.
Outside, sunlight spilled across the driveway.
For the first time, leaving that house didn't feel like defeat.
It felt like breathing.
We drove to Grandma's small brick home across town.
She made tea.
I sat at her kitchen table, holding my father's letter.
After a long silence, I asked the question that had been haunting me.
"How much was in the education account?"
Grandma looked down.
"The original amount was one hundred and eighty thousand dollars."
I nearly dropped my cup.
"What?"
"Your father wanted you to have enough for college and a secure beginning."
I thought about every night I had skipped dinner to save money.
Every time I had refused to join school trips.
Every extra shift I had worked.
"Where is it now?"
Grandma's eyes filled.
"I don't know."
I stared at her.
She reached across the table.
"But we're going to find out."
That evening, while I was unpacking, my phone vibrated.
It was a message from an unknown number.
Maya, this is Simone Carter. I'm a real estate agent. I believe someone has been using your identity to arrange a sale of your home.
My stomach turned.
Another message arrived.
I have copies of documents you need to see.
Then a third.
Please don't tell Marcus I've contacted you.
I showed Grandma.
She read the messages twice.
Then her face went pale.
May you like
"Call her," she said.
"Now."
