Chapter 6
Dad drove home without turning on the radio.
I sat beside him, staring out the window.
Claire's words kept repeating in my head.
Nicole's final instructions weren't supposed to reach you.
My mother had left instructions.
Someone had hidden them.
And Claire knew.
When we reached the house, Grandma Ruth was standing on the porch.
Lily sat beside her holding a stuffed black cat.
The moment Lily saw me, she jumped up.
"Maya!"
She ran toward the car.
I barely had time to open the door before she wrapped her arms around me.
I hugged her.
"Hey, Lily."
She looked up.
Her eyes were red.
"Are you mad at me?"
I shook my head.
"No."
She started crying.
"Mommy said you don't want me here."
My heart broke.
I knelt.
"Lily, that's not true."
She sniffled.
"Really?"
"Really."
I brushed a curl away from her face.
"You're my sister."
She hugged me tighter.
"I love you."
I closed my eyes.
"I love you too."
Dad stood nearby watching us.
His expression was full of sadness.
Grandma Ruth approached.
"Marcus, Claire's upstairs."
Dad nodded.
"Has she left the house?"
"No."
He looked toward me and Lily.
"Mom, can you stay with the girls?"
Grandma nodded.
"Of course."
Dad went inside.
I wanted to follow.
But Grandma touched my shoulder.
"Let him handle this part."
I hesitated.
Then sat beside Lily on the porch.
She handed me her stuffed cat.
"His name is Midnight."
I smiled.
"That's a good name."
She looked toward the house.
"Mommy's been crying."
I nodded.
"I know."
Lily lowered her voice.
"Did she do something bad?"
I didn't know how to answer.
She was only eight.
I didn't want to frighten her.
But I didn't want to lie.
"She made some choices that hurt people."
Lily looked down.
"Did I make her do it?"
My heart tightened.
"No, sweetheart."
I held her hand.
"Adults are responsible for their own choices."
She thought about that.
Then leaned against me.
For the first time all day, I felt like an older sister again.
Not someone competing for love.
Just someone helping Lily feel safe.
Inside the house, Dad found Claire packing.
I learned what happened later.
He told me she had two suitcases open on the bed.
Her clothes were scattered across the floor.
She kept saying she couldn't stay where everyone hated her.
Dad asked about Elaine.
Claire finally admitted she'd contacted Elaine shortly after marrying him.
She said she wanted help understanding the family finances.
Elaine told her there were accounts connected to Nicole's estate that Dad rarely reviewed.
Claire claimed Elaine suggested using some money temporarily to pay household expenses.
At first, the withdrawals were small.
Then they became larger.
Claire said Elaine prepared documents and told her everything could be corrected later.
But Claire didn't stop.
She kept spending.
On Lily's school.
On vacations.
On gifts.
On Trevor's property arrangements.
Dad asked why she never told him.
She said she was afraid he'd refuse.
He asked why she kept telling me we couldn't afford things.
She said she didn't want me asking questions about the account.
That answer hurt most.
She wasn't confused.
She knew what she was doing.
And she knew I was losing opportunities because of it.
When Dad came downstairs, his face looked exhausted.
He sat beside me.
"Sweetheart, Claire is staying with her sister tonight."
I swallowed.
"And Lily?"
He looked toward her.
"That's something Claire and I need to handle carefully."
Lily immediately grabbed my hand.
"Do I have to leave?"
Dad knelt in front of her.
"You're not in trouble, sweetheart."
She began crying.
"I don't want everybody to hate each other."
Dad pulled her into his arms.
"Nobody hates you."
I watched them.
For the first time, I realized how difficult this was for him too.
He loved both of us.
He had married Claire because he believed we could become one family.
Now he was discovering how badly she'd treated me.
That evening, Grandma stayed while Dad spoke with Claire and her sister about temporary arrangements for Lily.
He insisted that Lily not be blamed or used to carry messages between adults.
I was relieved.
But I was still scared.
What if Claire made Dad choose?
What if Lily stopped talking to me?
What if our family never felt normal again?
Grandma noticed me staring at the staircase.
She sat beside me.
"What's on your mind, baby?"
I swallowed.
"Do you think Dad will forgive Claire?"
Grandma sighed.
"I don't know."
I looked down.
"Should he?"
She took my hand.
"That's his decision."
Then she gently lifted my chin.
"But forgiveness doesn't mean he should ignore what happened."
I nodded.
She continued.
"And you don't have to forgive anyone before you're ready."
My eyes filled.
"Even if they're family?"
"Especially then."
I leaned against her.
For a moment, I wished Mom were there.
My real mom.
I wondered what she'd say.
Maybe she'd tell me to be brave.
Maybe she'd remind me that I deserved kindness.
I looked at the letter she'd written.
Then I whispered, "I miss her."
Grandma wrapped her arms around me.
"I know, sweetheart."
She held me while I cried.
The next morning, Rebecca called Dad.
I was eating cereal when he answered.
His expression changed immediately.
"What?"
I looked up.
He listened for several seconds.
Then asked, "Are you sure?"
My stomach tightened.
He ended the call.
I stared at him.
"Dad?"
He sat down slowly.
"Rebecca found the original insurance trust instructions."
My heart pounded.
"And?"
He looked at me.
"Nicole named an independent trustee."
I swallowed.
"Who?"
Dad hesitated.
Then answered.
"Elaine Mercer."
I stared at him.
"What?"
He nodded.
"Elaine was supposed to protect the account."
My stomach twisted.
The attorney receiving suspicious payments.
The woman Claire said helped arrange the withdrawals.
She was the person Mom had trusted to protect me.
I felt sick.
Dad continued.
"Rebecca also found evidence that Elaine may have approved transfers after she was supposed to stop acting as trustee."
I stared at my cereal.
I couldn't eat.
"Why would she do that?"
Dad shook his head.
"I don't know yet."
Then he looked at me.
"But we're going to find out."
That afternoon, Dad received another call.
This time, from the bank's fraud department.
The woman explained that investigators had identified several transactions requiring further review.
One payment stood out.
It was made only two weeks earlier.
For eighteen thousand dollars.
Dad asked who received it.
The woman gave him a company name.
He wrote it down.
Then looked at me.
His face had changed completely.
"Maya, do you know anything about a business called Silver Oak Consulting?"
I shook my head.
"No."
He swallowed.
"Neither do I."
Then he showed me the name of the company's registered owner.
Trevor Mercer.
Claire's brother.
I stared at the screen.
And suddenly, I understood that Claire hadn't just been buying expensive costumes.
May you like
She and her family had been moving money out of my mother's trust.
Money that was supposed to protect my future.
