Chapter 3
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Dad laughed.
It wasn't a happy sound.
It was the kind of laugh people make when reality becomes too terrible to understand.
"The house?"
Mom nodded.
Dad stared at her.
"Our house?"
She began crying.
"Marcus, please."
He stepped away.
"Tell me exactly what you signed."
Mom looked at the floor.
I stood beside the kitchen island, holding Grandma's memory in my mind like it was something fragile.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
One hundred and forty thousand transferred.
A loan.
A house at risk.
And somehow, Mom had decided the solution was sending me away.
Dad called our family attorney.
His name was Jonathan Bennett.
He had helped settle Grandma's estate.
He had known Dad for almost twenty years.
When Dad explained what happened, Jonathan became serious.
"I need to see every document immediately."
Dad put the phone on speaker.
"Can Denise legally use Maya's trust as collateral?"
"Not without proper authority, and the trust terms may prohibit it entirely."
Mom looked frightened.
Jonathan continued.
"Marcus, don't sign anything. Don't transfer funds. Bring the paperwork to my office."
Dad nodded.
"We'll be there."
He ended the call.
Then he turned toward Mom.
"Get every document Raymond gave you."
Mom hesitated.
"Marcus—"
"Now."
She went upstairs.
I stood frozen.
Dad approached me.
"Maya."
I looked at him.
"I'm sorry."
I shook my head.
"Why didn't you know?"
His face tightened.
"Your mother handled the trust correspondence after Grandma died."
"Why?"
"Because I trusted her."
I looked toward the stairs.
Trust.
That word suddenly sounded dangerous.
Dad knelt in front of me.
"Listen carefully. None of this is your fault."
My eyes filled.
"Then why did Mom say it was?"
He swallowed.
"Because she was trying to hide what she did."
I stared at him.
"Did she really want to send me away?"
Dad looked devastated.
"I don't know what she was thinking."
That hurt almost as much as the truth.
Because he couldn't promise she loved me.
Not in the way I needed.
I stepped away.
"I want to call Aunt Renee."
Dad nodded immediately.
"Of course."
Aunt Renee was Dad's younger sister.
She lived twenty minutes away.
She had always been close to me.
When Grandma died, Aunt Renee was the one who stayed beside my bed while I cried.
I called her.
She answered cheerfully.
"Hey, sunshine!"
I burst into tears.
Her voice changed.
"Maya? What's wrong?"
I couldn't speak.
Dad took the phone.
"Renee, we need you."
She arrived fifteen minutes later.
I ran into her arms before she could close the front door.
She held me tightly.
"Oh, sweetheart."
I cried against her shoulder.
"I don't want to go away."
She pulled back.
"What?"
"Mom was going to send me somewhere."
Aunt Renee looked at Dad.
His expression told her this was serious.
He explained everything.
By the time he finished, she was furious.
"Denise did what?"
Dad nodded.
Aunt Renee looked toward the stairs.
"Where is she?"
"Getting the documents."
Renee shook her head.
"That woman has lost her mind."
I had never heard her speak about Mom like that.
Tasha stood quietly near the kitchen.
Aunt Renee noticed her.
"Come here, baby."
Tasha hesitated.
Then walked into her arms.
For the first time that morning, my sister began sobbing.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Renee stroked her braids.
"What are you sorry for?"
Tasha looked at me.
"I knew they were going without Maya."
My heart tightened.
She wiped her cheeks.
"Mom told me not to say anything."
I stared at her.
"And you agreed?"
Tasha nodded.
"I thought it meant I would get more time with Dad."
I felt tears rising again.
She looked ashamed.
"Mom said you always got more attention."
I stared at my little sister.
For years, I had helped her study.
I had defended her when girls at school bullied her.
I had shared clothes and snacks and secrets.
Now I learned Mom had convinced her that my presence was somehow taking something away.
"Tasha," I whispered, "I never wanted to take Dad from you."
She began crying harder.
"I know."
I wanted to hug her.
But I couldn't.
Not yet.
Mom came downstairs carrying a blue folder.
She stopped when she saw Aunt Renee.
"Oh, wonderful," she muttered.
Renee folded her arms.
"Don't start."
Dad held out his hand.
"The documents."
Mom gave him the folder.
He opened it.
I watched him read.
Then he stopped.
His jaw tightened.
"Denise."
She looked away.
"This isn't a business loan."
My heart pounded.
"What?"
Dad held up the paperwork.
"This is a private investment agreement."
Mom shook her head.
"Raymond explained everything."
Dad continued reading.
"He used Maya's trust money to purchase shares in a company."
"What company?" Aunt Renee asked.
Dad looked at the page.
"Pacific Horizon Ventures."
I frowned.
Pacific Horizon.
That sounded familiar.
Then I remembered the bright-blue travel packet.
Honolulu.
Hawaii.
Dad looked toward the kitchen counter.
"Denise, is this connected to the vacation?"
Mom said nothing.
He opened another page.
His expression darkened.
"The Hawaii reservation was paid through the same company."
Aunt Renee stepped closer.
"What?"
Dad read aloud.
"Executive hospitality expenses."
My stomach twisted.
The trip wasn't a family vacation anymore.
It was connected to Raymond's business.
Dad looked at Mom.
"You were using Maya's money to fund a business trip?"
Mom shook her head.
"It wasn't like that."
"Then what was it?"
She began crying.
"Raymond said we could make the money back."
Dad stared at her.
"How?"
Mom swallowed.
"He said an investor was coming."
"What investor?"
She looked away.
"Someone from California."
Dad slammed the folder shut.
"You're telling me you risked our daughter's future because your brother promised a rich investor?"
Mom began sobbing.
"I thought we could fix everything."
I stared at her.
"But you didn't even ask me."
She looked at me.
"Maya, you're too young to understand."
Something inside me hardened.
"I'm old enough to understand you lied."
Mom flinched.
I continued.
"You lied to Dad."
She lowered her eyes.
"You lied to Tasha."
Tasha began crying.
"And you were going to send me away so nobody would find out."
Mom covered her face.
I stepped backward.
For the first time, I didn't want her to hug me.
I didn't want her apologies.
I wanted distance.
Dad looked at Aunt Renee.
"Can Maya stay with you tonight?"
She nodded.
"Of course."
I grabbed my backpack.
Mom suddenly looked up.
"Maya, wait."
I stopped.
She stepped toward me.
"Please don't leave like this."
I stared at her.
"You were going to make me leave for a whole year."
Her face crumpled.
I swallowed.
"So why does it hurt now that I'm choosing to go?"
She had no answer.
I walked upstairs to pack.
When I returned, Dad was still reading the documents.
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
"Marcus Carter."
A man's voice spoke loudly enough for us to hear.
"Mr. Carter, this is Raymond's business associate."
Dad frowned.
"What do you want?"
"We need to discuss your daughter."
My blood turned cold.
Dad stood.
"What about Maya?"
The man paused.
Then said, "Her signature is the only thing preventing a very expensive problem."
I stared at Dad.
My signature?
I was sixteen.
Why would anyone need my signature?
Dad's voice hardened.
"Explain yourself."
The man answered quietly.
"Because according to our records, your daughter already agreed to the transfer."
Dad looked at me.
I shook my head.
I hadn't signed anything.
May you like
Then the man said something that made my stomach drop.
"And if she denies it, someone in your family could go to prison."
