Chapter 3
For one terrible moment, I thought Daddy believed her.
He stood completely still.
His eyes moved from the silver key to the letter in his hand.
Vanessa noticed his hesitation.
And smiled.
"See, Marcus? Olivia wasn't the saint you remember."
My stomach twisted.
"Don't talk about Mommy!"
Vanessa pointed at me.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about. That little girl has been spoiled with lies."
Daddy stepped in front of me.
"Vanessa, place the jewelry box on the table."
She refused.
"Not until you listen."
"Put it down."
His voice left no room for argument.
Vanessa dropped the box onto a nearby chair.
The lid opened.
Mommy's necklace slipped onto the cushion.
I reached for it, but Daddy gently stopped me.
"Let me check everything first, sweetheart."
He called the police again and told them Vanessa was attempting to remove property connected to an ongoing financial investigation.
By the time two officers arrived, Chloe was sitting on the staircase crying.
Vanessa immediately rushed toward them.
"Thank goodness! My husband has lost his mind!"
The older officer looked around.
"What happened here?"
Vanessa pointed at Daddy.
"He threatened me and tried to throw my daughter out!"
Daddy remained calm.
"My daughter is ten years old. My wife dragged her toward the front door and attempted to put her outside."
I showed the officer my arm.
The marks had darkened.
His expression grew serious.
"Young lady, can you tell me what happened?"
I looked at Vanessa.
She glared.
The officer noticed.
"Ma'am, please step away while I speak with her."
Vanessa started protesting.
But the second officer guided her toward the dining room.
I told them everything.
The birthday presents.
The gift bag.
The shouting.
The way Vanessa had grabbed me.
I even told them about the nights she made me eat dinner alone in the kitchen.
Daddy's eyes filled with tears.
He listened without interrupting.
When I finished, the older officer spoke gently.
"You did the right thing telling us."
Vanessa began shouting from the other room.
"She's lying!"
The officer calmly told her to lower her voice.
Then he photographed my arm.
Daddy showed him the letter and the suspicious document.
The officers explained that the financial allegations would need a separate investigation.
They also told Daddy to preserve the paperwork and contact the lawyer immediately.
Vanessa insisted everything was a misunderstanding.
But when Daddy asked her to leave, she refused.
"This is my home too!"
The officer explained that disputes over occupancy would have to follow the law.
Daddy nodded.
He didn't argue.
Instead, he said something I had never heard before.
"Then Maya and I will stay somewhere else tonight."
My heart dropped.
"Leave our house?"
He knelt beside me.
"Just for tonight, sweetheart. Somewhere safe."
Vanessa folded her arms.
"Good. Maybe she can finally learn how to behave."
Daddy looked up.
"One more word about my daughter, and every conversation between us will happen through attorneys."
She went silent.
Before we left, Daddy asked the officer to document the jewelry box and the key.
He photographed them carefully.
Vanessa insisted the key was hers.
But she wouldn't explain what it opened.
The officer advised us not to argue over it.
Daddy placed Mommy's necklace back inside the box.
Then he looked at me.
"We'll get everything sorted out."
I wanted to believe him.
But when we walked outside, I realized something terrible.
All my favorite things were still inside.
My books.
My stuffed rabbit.
The photograph of Mommy I kept beneath my pillow.
I began crying again.
Daddy carried me to his truck.
"We'll get them back."
"Will Vanessa hurt them?"
"No, sweetheart. We'll make sure they're protected."
He buckled my seat belt.
Then he climbed behind the wheel.
For a few minutes, neither of us spoke.
Finally, I asked the question that had been hurting me for months.
"Daddy, did you really wish I had died with Mommy?"
He turned so quickly that I became frightened.
"What?"
My voice cracked.
"Vanessa said you told her that."
Daddy covered his mouth.
His eyes filled with tears.
Then he reached across the seat and held both my hands.
"Maya, listen carefully."
I nodded.
"I have never wished that. Not for one second."
"But she said—"
"She lied."
His voice broke.
"When your mother died, I didn't know how I was going to keep living. Do you know what kept me going?"
I shook my head.
"You."
A tear fell down his cheek.
"Every morning, I got out of bed because my little girl needed her daddy."
I started sobbing.
He climbed out of the truck, opened my door, and wrapped me in his arms.
We stood in the driveway holding each other.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I'm sorry I didn't see what was happening."
I buried my face against his shoulder.
"I tried to tell you."
"I know."
"You were always working."
"I know, baby."
"And Vanessa said you would send me away if I complained."
Daddy held me tighter.
"That will never happen."
We drove to Aunt Denise's house.
She was my father's older sister and the only adult Vanessa never seemed able to intimidate.
When Aunt Denise opened the door and saw my swollen eyes, her expression changed.
"Marcus? What happened?"
Daddy said, "I failed my daughter."
Aunt Denise didn't ask another question.
She pulled me inside.
She made hot chocolate.
She found my favorite purple blanket.
And she listened as Daddy explained what had happened.
When he mentioned the trust, Aunt Denise slammed her cup onto the table.
"I knew something was wrong!"
Daddy stared at her.
"What do you mean?"
She walked toward a cabinet.
"Six months ago, Vanessa came here asking about Olivia's family."
Daddy frowned.
"Why?"
"She wanted to know whether Olivia's father had left her any property."
My grandfather had died before I was born.
I knew almost nothing about him.
Aunt Denise pulled out an old photograph.
It showed Mommy standing beside a beautiful white house.
"Olivia once told me this place belonged to her parents," she said.
Daddy leaned closer.
"I've never seen that house."
Aunt Denise nodded.
"That's because Vanessa made sure you never saw the documents."
Daddy looked confused.
Aunt Denise opened a folder.
Inside was a photocopy of a letter she had received from Mr. Carter.
She placed it on the table.
At the top were three words.
BENNETT FAMILY TRUST.
And underneath was a property description.
Daddy read it twice.
Then he whispered, "This can't be right."
Aunt Denise stared at him.
"Marcus, Olivia didn't leave Maya only money."
She pointed at the paper.
"She left her an entire house."
My heart began racing.
I looked at the photograph again.
And suddenly remembered something.
I had been there before.
May you like
With Mommy.
And there was something hidden in the upstairs bedroom that Vanessa desperately wanted to find.
