Chapter 5
The next morning, Dad didn't go to work.
That had never happened before.
He usually left the house before seven.
Sometimes he was gone until dinner.
Sometimes until long after I was asleep.
But that morning, he was sitting at the kitchen table when I came downstairs.
He looked tired.
There was a cup of coffee in front of him.
And a thick folder beside it.
"Morning, sweetheart."
I stopped.
"Morning."
He smiled gently.
"Did you sleep?"
I shrugged.
"A little."
He nodded.
"Come sit."
I hesitated.
Then sat across from him.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he pushed the folder toward me.
I stared at it.
"What's that?"
"The documents Vanessa submitted."
My stomach tightened.
I opened the folder.
Inside was a boarding school application.
A medical information form.
A student profile.
And a letter.
The letter described me as emotionally difficult.
Disruptive.
Unable to adjust to a blended family.
I stared at the words.
My eyes burned.
"She wrote this about me?"
Dad nodded.
His face looked devastated.
I continued reading.
The letter claimed I had become hostile toward Vanessa.
That I resented Noah.
That I needed strict discipline away from home.
My hands started shaking.
None of it was true.
I loved Noah.
I'd never tried to hurt Vanessa.
I'd spent years avoiding arguments because I was terrified of making Dad choose between us.
But the letter described me like some angry child who wanted to destroy the family.
I looked up.
"Dad, did you believe this?"
His expression changed.
"No."
I swallowed.
"Not even a little?"
He hesitated.
That hesitation broke my heart.
I looked away.
"Maya..."
I shook my head.
"Please tell me the truth."
He took a breath.
"I believed some of the things Vanessa said about you becoming withdrawn."
I felt tears rise.
"Because I was sad."
He nodded slowly.
"I know that now."
I stared at him.
"I was sad because she kept making me feel unwanted."
His eyes filled.
"I should have asked you why."
I swallowed.
"You should have."
The room became quiet.
Then Dad looked at the folder.
"The school application was never approved by me."
I nodded.
"Okay."
"And your signature appears to have been forged."
I stared at the paper.
Someone had written my name.
Maya Carter.
In handwriting that tried to resemble mine.
I felt sick.
"What happens now?"
Dad's expression became firm.
"My attorney has notified the school that the application was unauthorized."
I nodded.
"They won't accept it."
I felt relief.
He continued.
"And we're investigating how Vanessa obtained the necessary documents."
I looked toward the hallway.
"Is she going to be arrested?"
Dad hesitated.
"That's not something I can decide."
I swallowed.
"But there will be consequences?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
For the first time, I believed him.
That afternoon, Grandma took Noah and me to the park.
I needed fresh air.
I needed to see something other than the walls of our house.
Noah ran toward the swings.
Grandma sat beside me on a bench.
For a while, we watched him play.
Then she looked at me.
"Maya, sweetheart, can I ask you something?"
I nodded.
"Why didn't you tell us how Vanessa was treating you?"
I looked down.
I didn't know how to explain.
How could I tell her that I'd spent months believing nobody wanted to hear me?
How could I explain that every time I complained, Vanessa made Dad think I was jealous?
How could I admit that I'd started believing I was the problem?
I swallowed.
"Because I thought Dad would choose her."
Grandma's eyes filled.
I continued.
"She always said he was happier with her and Noah."
My voice broke.
"She said I reminded him of the past."
Grandma looked horrified.
"The past?"
I nodded.
"My mom."
Her face crumpled.
My biological mother, Jasmine, died when I was seven.
She had been beautiful.
Kind.
Full of laughter.
I remembered her singing while she cooked.
I remembered her braiding my hair.
I remembered the way she kissed my forehead before bed.
After she died, Dad was heartbroken.
For years, it was just the two of us.
Then Vanessa entered our lives.
At first, I thought she would help us become happy again.
But gradually, she began making me feel like my memories of Mom were something Dad needed to escape.
"She said he couldn't move forward while I kept acting like a reminder of his old life."
Grandma covered her mouth.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Oh, Maya."
I looked toward Noah.
He was laughing on the swings.
I continued.
"I didn't want Dad to be sad because of me."
Grandma pulled me close.
I cried against her shoulder.
"My sweet girl, you were never the reason your father was sad."
I nodded.
But the words were hard to believe.
She stroked my braids.
"Your mother was loved. You are loved. And neither of those things takes love away from anyone else."
I cried harder.
For a long time, she simply held me.
Then she whispered, "I promise you're never going to have to face this alone again."
I wanted to believe her.
That evening, Dad came home from a meeting with his attorney.
He looked grim.
I was sitting in the family room with Noah.
Dad crouched beside us.
"Hey, you two."
Noah smiled.
"Daddy!"
Dad hugged him.
Then looked at me.
"Can we talk?"
I nodded.
We went into the study.
He closed the door.
Then sat across from me.
"Maya, there's something important I need to tell you."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
He took a breath.
"The photographer's recording captured Vanessa speaking with someone before the celebration."
I stared at him.
"Who?"
Dad hesitated.
"A woman named Diane."
I frowned.
"Who's Diane?"
"Vanessa's attorney."
My heart began pounding.
Dad continued.
"They were discussing the boarding school application."
I swallowed.
"What did Vanessa say?"
Dad looked devastated.
"She said once you were away, the family photographs would finally look right."
I felt tears rise.
He continued.
"And she told Diane that the school placement would help establish a new family arrangement."
I stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
Dad hesitated.
Then answered carefully.
"She wanted to make changes to the family trust."
My stomach dropped.
"What trust?"
He looked at me.
"The trust your mother established for you before she died."
I went completely still.
My mother had left something for me?
Something Vanessa wanted to control?
Dad reached for my hand.
"Maya, your mother made sure you'd always have financial security."
I stared at him.
"How much?"
He hesitated.
Then gave me a number that made my head spin.
Several million dollars.
My mouth fell open.
Dad continued.
"Vanessa wanted to change how those funds were administered."
I felt cold.
"And sending me away would help her?"
He nodded slowly.
"That appears to have been part of the plan."
I looked toward the door.
Suddenly, everything made terrible sense.
The family photograph.
The boarding school.
The forged signature.
The lies about my behavior.
May you like
Vanessa hadn't only wanted me out of the picture.
She had wanted me out of the way.
