Chapter 6
I barely slept that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Derek standing in his office.
Angry.
Desperate.
Caught.
But what frightened me most was how easily he had manipulated me.
He didn't steal my documents from a locked drawer.
I sent them to him.
Willingly.
Because he called me princess.
Because he said he wanted to take care of me.
Because I wanted a father who would finally choose me.
The next morning, Arthur found me sitting at the kitchen table.
My laptop was open.
My eyes were swollen.
He placed a plate of toast beside me.
"Have you slept?"
I shook my head.
He sat.
"What have you found?"
I turned the screen toward him.
"An unfamiliar credit inquiry."
His expression tightened.
Rachel had recommended that I review my credit reports and place security freezes with the major credit bureaus.
I'd spent hours checking everything.
One inquiry came from a lender I didn't recognize.
Another involved a business credit application.
I had never applied for either.
Arthur studied the screen.
"Have you contacted them?"
"Not yet."
He nodded.
"Let's do it together."
For the next two hours, we made calls.
I reported the suspicious activity.
I froze my credit files.
I changed passwords.
I replaced account recovery information.
And I filed an identity theft report.
With each call, I felt a little stronger.
Not because I wasn't frightened.
I was.
But because I was finally doing something.
Then a loan representative called back.
Her voice was professional.
"Ms. Johnson, we located an application submitted using your personal information."
My hands went cold.
"What kind of application?"
"A business-related personal guarantee."
I stared at Arthur.
"How much?"
"One hundred and fifty thousand dollars."
I couldn't speak.
The representative quickly explained that the application had not been approved and that the lender would investigate the identity theft claim.
No funds had been issued.
But someone had tried.
Someone had used my identity to request a six-figure obligation.
Arthur reached for my hand.
I gripped it so tightly his knuckles turned pale.
***
That afternoon, Derek called from an unfamiliar number.
I nearly ignored it.
Then I answered and put the call on speaker.
"Maya."
His voice sounded exhausted.
"What do you want?"
"Please don't hang up."
I stared at Arthur.
He remained silent.
"I made mistakes," Derek said.
I swallowed.
"Mistakes?"
"I got desperate."
"You forged my signature."
"I was going to pay everything back."
"You tried to put a loan in my name."
Silence.
Then he whispered, "I never meant for you to find out that way."
I felt tears burning behind my eyes.
"That way?"
"Maya—"
"So there was a better way for me to discover you were stealing from me?"
He exhaled sharply.
"I was trying to save my company."
"Why was that more important than me?"
He didn't answer.
I waited.
Then he said, "I've worked for years to build something."
I stared at the phone.
"And Arthur worked for years to raise me."
His voice hardened.
"Don't compare me to that man."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm your blood."
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The argument he always returned to.
Blood.
As if sharing DNA excused everything.
I looked at Arthur.
He sat quietly beside me.
The same man who had spent sixteen years proving that love was an action.
Not a biological fact.
I spoke slowly.
"Arthur is my father."
Derek laughed bitterly.
"He turned you against me."
"No."
My voice grew stronger.
"You did."
Then Derek said something I hadn't expected.
"Your mother wasn't innocent either."
My breath caught.
"What did you say?"
"She made sure I couldn't get near you."
Arthur sat upright.
Derek continued.
"She wanted that money for herself."
I stood.
"Don't talk about my mother like that."
"Ask Arthur what happened in court."
I looked at him.
Arthur's face had gone pale.
Derek noticed my silence.
"See? There's plenty he hasn't told you."
Then the call ended.
***
For a long time, neither Arthur nor I spoke.
Finally, I asked, "What happened in court?"
Arthur looked at the table.
"Maya."
"Please."
He sighed.
"Your mother fought to protect your grandmother's trust. Derek was angry about the restrictions."
"I know that part."
Arthur nodded.
"But there was more."
My heart began racing.
"Tell me."
He rubbed his hands together.
"Before your mother became seriously ill, Derek filed a petition claiming she was mismanaging the trust."
I stared.
"Was she?"
"No."
"How do you know?"
"Because the court ordered a detailed accounting."
Arthur looked at me.
"Every dollar was traced. Your mother had kept excellent records."
I felt a wave of relief.
"What happened to Derek's petition?"
"It was dismissed."
Arthur hesitated.
"And the court expressed serious concerns about financial information Derek had submitted."
"What information?"
"He claimed he had paid expenses for you that he couldn't substantiate."
My stomach twisted.
"He was doing the same thing back then."
Arthur nodded sadly.
"Some patterns last a long time."
I stared at the wall.
For years, I had imagined my biological father as a man who had been kept away from me.
A man fighting to return.
A victim of circumstances.
Now I was beginning to understand that the truth was far uglier.
"But why did he agree to the adoption?" I whispered.
Arthur was quiet.
Then he stood.
"There's something I need to show you."
He walked to his bedroom.
When he returned, he carried a thick folder.
He placed it in front of me.
Inside were legal documents.
Letters from attorneys.
Court orders.
And an old statement signed by Derek.
Arthur pointed to the signature.
"After your mother died, the court considered the arrangements for your care. Derek was notified and had legal representation."
I read slowly.
Derek had eventually consented to Arthur adopting me.
He had signed the agreement.
He had confirmed that he understood the consequences.
I looked up.
"Why?"
Arthur's eyes filled.
"He told his lawyer he wasn't prepared to raise you."
My chest tightened.
"Not prepared?"
Arthur swallowed.
"He said he had business obligations and couldn't provide a stable home."
I stared at the paper.
My vision blurred.
"He gave me away?"
Arthur immediately shook his head.
"No, sweetheart. You weren't something to give away."
"But he didn't want me."
Arthur moved closer.
"He made a decision that hurt you. That's on him."
A sob escaped me.
I thought about every birthday I had spent waiting for Derek to call.
Every Christmas when I wondered whether a present would arrive.
Every time I asked Arthur whether my real father missed me.
Arthur always said, "I can't speak for Derek, but you are deeply loved."
He never told me Derek didn't care.
He never tried to make me hate him.
He simply loved me enough for two people.
I covered my face.
"Why didn't I see it?"
Arthur pulled his chair beside mine.
"Because you wanted to believe him."
I leaned into his shoulder.
"Does that make me stupid?"
"No."
His answer was immediate.
"It makes you human."
***
Two days later, Rachel arranged a meeting with an investigator.
We brought the documents.
The forged authorization.
The suspicious loan application.
The messages Derek sent requesting my identification.
And the voicemail he had left after our confrontation.
The investigator listened carefully.
Then asked me a question.
"Would you be willing to provide a formal statement?"
I looked at Arthur.
He nodded once.
Not deciding for me.
Just telling me I wasn't alone.
"Yes," I answered.
My voice shook.
But I didn't take it back.
I told them everything.
The lies.
The money.
The signatures.
The business meeting.
The admission.
And the way Derek had used my desire for his love to gain access to my information.
When I finished, I felt emptied out.
The investigator thanked me.
Then he said, "There may be other people affected by this."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
He leaned forward.
"We're looking into additional complaints involving the same company."
My stomach dropped.
"Other victims?"
"Potentially."
I thought of Derek's former partner.
His angry creditors.
The receptionist at his office.
Then the investigator said something that made Arthur sit completely still.
"We've also received information suggesting that an older person close to Mr. Johnson may have lost money through a related arrangement."
I stared.
"Who?"
He hesitated.
"We're still verifying the details."
Then he gave us a name.
Evelyn's longtime friend.
Mrs. Lorraine Parker.
A woman I had known since childhood.
A woman who had attended my mother's funeral.
And a woman who had recently been hospitalized after losing her retirement savings.
May you like
I stared at the investigator.
Because for the first time, I understood that Derek's lies might have destroyed far more than my graduation day.
