Chapter 3
I didn't sleep much that night.
Aunt Renee took me home with her because Daddy needed to stay at the hospital and speak with the doctors.
Her guest bedroom smelled like clean sheets and lavender.
Usually, I loved sleeping there.
But that night, everything felt wrong.
I kept thinking about Noah.
Was he hungry?
Was he crying?
Did Claire hold him when he woke up?
And was Daddy still there?
At midnight, I climbed out of bed.
I walked quietly into the kitchen.
Aunt Renee was sitting at the table.
She had a cup of tea in her hands.
When she saw me, she immediately stood.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
I shook my head.
"Can't sleep."
She opened her arms.
I hugged her.
Then whispered, "Is Daddy coming home?"
Her face softened.
"Of course."
I swallowed.
"With Noah?"
She didn't answer immediately.
That frightened me.
I stepped backward.
"Did Claire take him away?"
Aunt Renee knelt.
"No one has taken Noah anywhere. He's still at the hospital with his mother."
I looked down.
"But Daddy loves him."
She nodded sadly.
"I know."
I began crying.
"He painted his room."
"I know, sweetheart."
"He bought his little bed."
"Yes."
"He even cried when the doctor said Noah was healthy."
Aunt Renee pulled me close.
I pressed my face against her shoulder.
I didn't understand how grown-ups could create something so beautiful and then ruin it with lies.
The next morning, Daddy arrived before breakfast.
He looked exhausted.
His tan cardigan was wrinkled.
His beard looked darker because he hadn't shaved.
But when he saw me, he smiled.
"Hey, princess."
I ran toward him.
He picked me up.
I wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Are you okay?"
He closed his eyes.
"I'm getting there."
Aunt Renee made coffee while Daddy sat with me.
He explained that Claire and Noah would remain at the hospital for another day.
Then he said something important.
"Maya, I want you to know that Noah is innocent."
I nodded quickly.
"I know."
Daddy took my hands.
"And I don't want you thinking you have to stop caring about him."
My eyes filled.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"You can love him."
I smiled through tears.
"Can you?"
Daddy looked down.
For a moment, he couldn't speak.
Then he said quietly, "I already do."
I hugged him.
But I could feel how sad he was.
Later that morning, Daddy met with a lawyer named Angela Price.
Aunt Renee stayed with me.
I wanted to know everything they were discussing.
But Renee explained that some decisions were complicated.
Marriage.
Paternity.
Money.
Custody.
Things that required grown-ups to be careful.
I nodded.
But I still listened whenever Daddy's phone rang.
By afternoon, he returned looking even more worried.
He sat beside Aunt Renee.
Then opened a folder.
My grandfather, Thomas Carter, had died three years earlier.
He owned several small apartment buildings and a successful transportation company.
Before he died, he created a family trust.
Daddy was one of the trustees.
Uncle Daniel was supposed to receive certain payments under its rules.
But Daddy said Daniel had been angry about those rules for years.
He wanted more money.
He wanted control.
And he blamed Daddy whenever he couldn't get what he wanted.
Aunt Renee frowned.
"What does that have to do with Claire?"
Daddy looked at her.
"She apparently helped Daniel obtain financial information."
My stomach tightened.
I knew Claire had helped Daddy organize paperwork sometimes.
She used his computer.
Answered business calls.
Opened mail.
Daddy trusted her.
Now he looked as though he regretted every bit of that trust.
"How much information?" Aunt Renee asked.
Daddy sighed.
"We don't know yet."
She shook her head.
"Marcus, this is serious."
"I know."
He looked toward me.
Then stopped.
I was sitting at the kitchen counter pretending to color.
I wasn't fooling anyone.
Daddy gently closed the folder.
"Maya, sweetheart, would you like to help Aunt Renee make lunch?"
I nodded.
I knew he wanted to protect me from the conversation.
And this time, I didn't mind.
Because I was tired of secrets.
Tired of hearing adults shout.
Tired of wondering whether our family would ever be normal again.
Aunt Renee and I made grilled cheese sandwiches.
While the bread cooked, I asked her something.
"Did Uncle Daniel always hate Daddy?"
She looked surprised.
"No, baby."
"Then why did he hurt him?"
Aunt Renee sighed.
"Sometimes people let jealousy grow until they make terrible choices."
I thought about that.
"Was he jealous because Daddy has me?"
Her expression changed.
"Oh, sweetheart."
She knelt beside me.
"No. You are not the reason Daniel made those choices."
I nodded.
I wanted to believe her.
Then Daddy's phone rang.
He answered in the living room.
At first, his voice was calm.
Then it changed.
"What do you mean the records were accessed?"
I froze.
Aunt Renee turned off the stove.
Daddy stood.
"Who authorized that?"
He listened.
Then looked toward us.
His face had gone pale.
After a moment, he ended the call.
Aunt Renee stepped closer.
"What happened?"
Daddy swallowed.
"Someone attempted to transfer money from the family trust."
Her eyes widened.
"How much?"
He looked down.
"Four hundred and eighty thousand dollars."
My mouth fell open.
I didn't understand how much money that was.
But it sounded enormous.
Aunt Renee covered her mouth.
"Was the transfer completed?"
Daddy shook his head.
"The bank stopped it for verification."
I felt a little relieved.
Then Daddy looked at the folder.
"And the authorization carried my electronic signature."
Aunt Renee stared.
"But you didn't approve it."
"No."
He looked toward the window.
Then whispered something that made my stomach hurt.
"Claire had access to my signature files."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Daddy's phone vibrated again.
A message appeared.
He read it.
His face changed completely.
Aunt Renee stepped closer.
"What is it?"
Daddy turned the screen toward her.
It was a message from Daniel.
You can keep the house and your daughter. Just leave the trust alone.
I stared at Daddy.
May you like
Because the way Uncle Daniel mentioned me made my skin feel cold.
And suddenly, I wondered whether our family was in more danger than anyone wanted to tell me.
