Chapter 4
I had known Vanessa for seven years.
We had been married for five.
During that time, she'd told me almost nothing about her brother.
Whenever I asked, she said Daniel Price lived out of state and preferred privacy.
I'd met him only once.
At our wedding.
He wore an expensive suit and spoke confidently about business investments.
He gave us a beautiful silver serving set.
Then he disappeared from our lives.
At least, that's what I believed.
Now his name appeared on a document that supposedly gave Vanessa authority over my father's finances.
I sat in Rachel's office staring at the notarization.
"Are you sure it's the same Daniel?"
Rachel nodded.
"The available records match."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Was he allowed to notarize this?"
"That depends on several facts. We'll need to verify his commission, the circumstances, and whether your father actually appeared before him."
I looked at Dad.
He had agreed to accompany me.
His cheek had healed, but he still seemed cautious around me.
Rachel asked him directly whether he'd ever met Daniel Price after the wedding.
Dad shook his head.
"No."
"Did you sign this document?"
"No."
"Did you authorize anyone to sign on your behalf?"
"Absolutely not."
Rachel nodded.
She arranged for the suspicious document to be examined and reported through the appropriate channels.
Then she asked Dad a question.
"Arthur, has Vanessa ever requested copies of your identification?"
He thought for a moment.
"Yes."
My stomach tightened.
"When?"
"About two months ago."
He explained that Vanessa claimed she needed his driver's license to update family emergency records.
She said the information would help if he ever became ill.
Dad was reluctant.
But she insisted Marcus had requested it.
He eventually allowed her to photograph the card.
I closed my eyes.
Another lie.
Another time she'd used my name.
Rachel wrote everything down.
Then she asked whether Dad had any messages from Vanessa.
He nodded.
"I saved them."
I looked at him.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
He stared at me.
"Because every time I tried, you said she was only helping."
The words cut through me.
He wasn't accusing me.
He was stating a fact.
And that made it worse.
After the meeting, Dad returned to Danielle's house.
I drove home alone.
Vanessa was waiting in the kitchen.
She wore a cream sweater and black trousers.
Her hair was pulled back.
She looked calm.
Almost cheerful.
"Marcus, you're finally home."
I stopped in the doorway.
She approached.
"I made dinner."
I didn't move.
Her smile faded.
"What's wrong?"
I placed a copy of the suspected power of attorney on the counter.
She looked at it.
Then at me.
"Where did you get that?"
"Rachel."
Her expression changed.
I watched carefully.
"Why is your brother's name on a document my father says he never signed?"
Vanessa folded her arms.
"Daniel helped prepare some paperwork."
"Without Dad's permission?"
She laughed nervously.
"Arthur forgets things."
I stared at her.
"Don't."
She blinked.
"What?"
"Don't start telling me my father is confused."
Her face hardened.
"Marcus, I'm trying to protect our future."
I felt anger rise.
"By taking control of his property?"
She stepped closer.
"That property is going to be yours someday."
"Not now."
"You're his only son!"
I shook my head.
"I have a sister."
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
"Danielle doesn't care about money."
My chest tightened.
"That's not the point."
She sighed dramatically.
"You're being emotional."
I stared at her.
The same phrase she'd used whenever I questioned her.
The same accusation she made against Dad.
The same tactic she used when she wanted someone to stop asking questions.
I took a slow breath.
"Vanessa, did you forge my father's signature?"
Her face went pale.
"No."
"Did Daniel?"
She hesitated.
"I don't know."
"Did you submit the document?"
She looked away.
"Marcus, please."
I stepped backward.
For a moment, I remembered the security footage.
Her hand striking her own face.
Her fingers tearing the dress.
Her body dropping onto the floor.
The lie that made me hit my father.
I couldn't trust another word without evidence.
"Vanessa, I need you to stay somewhere else while this is investigated."
She stared at me.
"What?"
"We need distance."
She laughed sharply.
"This is my home."
I nodded.
"You have legal rights here. I'm not pretending otherwise."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Then you can't throw me out."
"I'm not going to force you out. I'll stay with Danielle if necessary. But we need to arrange a safe separation."
She looked confused.
Perhaps she'd expected me to lose control.
To scream.
To grab her.
To give her another incident she could use against me.
Instead, I remained calm.
Her expression darkened.
"You're choosing your father over your wife."
I shook my head.
"I'm choosing the truth."
She began crying.
"After everything I've done for you?"
I stared at her.
"What exactly have you done, Vanessa?"
She froze.
I continued.
"You tried to convince me my father attacked you."
Her tears stopped.
"You used my family's documents without permission."
She looked away.
"And you tried to make my father appear incapable of managing his own finances."
She grabbed her handbag.
"You're going to regret this."
I stepped aside.
She walked toward the front door.
Then she turned.
"Your father has secrets too."
My stomach tightened.
"What secrets?"
She smiled coldly.
"Ask him why your mother changed her will before she died."
Then she left.
I stood in the kitchen.
For several minutes, I couldn't move.
My mother had died twenty-five years earlier.
I remembered the funeral.
The flowers.
The people hugging me.
Dad holding my hand so tightly I thought he'd never let go.
I knew she'd established a trust.
But I had never heard anything about a last-minute change to her will.
I called Dad.
He answered after several rings.
"Marcus?"
"Dad, I need to ask you something."
He sounded tired.
"What is it?"
"Did Mom change her will before she died?"
Silence.
Then he asked quietly, "Who told you that?"
My stomach tightened.
"Vanessa."
Dad exhaled.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he said, "Yes."
I sat down.
"Why?"
He was silent again.
Finally, he whispered, "Your mother discovered something about a business partner."
I frowned.
"What business partner?"
Dad took a slow breath.
"A man who wanted access to her properties."
I felt cold.
"Who?"
He hesitated.
"His name was Raymond Price."
My heart stopped.
Price.
Vanessa's maiden name.
Her brother's surname.
I gripped the phone.
"Dad, is Raymond related to Vanessa?"
He became quiet.
May you like
Then he whispered, "That's what I've been trying to find out."
And suddenly, I wondered whether my wife had entered our family by accident at all.
