Chapter 6
Dad invited Tasha inside.
But he didn't let her speak to me alone.
We sat together in Grandma's living room.
Tasha kept looking toward the window.
Her fingers trembled around a glass of water.
Dad leaned forward.
"What did you mean about another child?"
Tasha swallowed.
"Vanessa was engaged before she met you."
Dad frowned.
"I know. She told me it ended badly."
"She didn't tell you why."
"No."
Tasha opened her folder.
Inside were printed messages and photographs.
She slid one picture across the table.
It showed Vanessa standing beside a man and a little boy.
The boy looked about eight.
They were smiling outside a house.
Dad studied the photograph.
"Who are they?"
"Her former fiancé, Andre Williams, and his son, Caleb."
I looked at the boy.
He was holding a soccer ball.
He had the same nervous smile I sometimes wore in school pictures.
Tasha looked at Dad.
"Andre ended the engagement after Caleb told his grandmother how Vanessa treated him."
My chest tightened.
"What happened to him?" I whispered.
Tasha looked at me.
Then at Dad.
Dad nodded carefully.
"You can tell us what you know."
Tasha's voice softened.
"Caleb was told he wasn't welcome. His toys disappeared. Vanessa made him feel like he was taking up space in his own home."
I gripped my stuffed rabbit.
That sounded familiar.
Too familiar.
"Did his daddy believe him?"
Tasha nodded.
"Eventually."
"What happened?"
"He moved Vanessa out."
I stared at her.
"Is Caleb okay?"
Tasha smiled sadly.
"He's doing much better now."
Something inside me loosened.
Maybe children like us could become happy again.
Dad asked another question.
"How do you know all this?"
Tasha looked down.
"Vanessa and I were friends. I believed her version at first."
She took a breath.
"She told me Caleb was difficult. That Andre was unfair. That she was always being blamed for things she didn't do."
Dad's jaw tightened.
"When did you stop believing her?"
"After I heard her talking about Maya."
The room became silent.
Tasha continued.
"We were working together at a real estate office. Vanessa had started talking about buying properties through Willow Creek."
Dad leaned forward.
"You knew about Willow Creek?"
"I helped with some paperwork."
His expression changed.
Tasha quickly added, "I didn't know where all the money came from."
She slid another document across the table.
"Then Vanessa mentioned your daughter's education account."
Dad stared at her.
"What did she say?"
Tasha's eyes filled with tears.
"She said children didn't need large savings sitting around when adults could put the money to better use."
Grandma shook her head.
Tasha continued.
"I asked whether you knew."
"What did she say?"
"She said you trusted her."
Dad looked away.
I watched his hand close into a fist.
Tasha leaned forward.
"Marcus, I need you to understand something. I didn't come here because I'm innocent of everything."
He looked back.
"I signed documents for Willow Creek. I helped open files. I should have asked more questions."
"Why come now?"
"Because Vanessa told me she was going to make Maya look like the problem."
My stomach dropped.
Tasha continued.
"She said if you started questioning her, she'd convince you that Maya was stealing and lying."
Dad's voice became sharp.
"She planned that?"
Tasha nodded.
"She said you'd believe your wife over a child."
I looked at Dad.
He looked like someone had punched him.
Tasha wiped her face.
"When I heard what happened yesterday, I realized she was actually doing it."
Dad took a slow breath.
"Will you speak to my attorney?"
"Yes."
"And provide these records?"
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Then we'll handle this properly."
For the first time, Tasha relaxed slightly.
Grandma brought her more water.
I sat quietly beside Dad.
There were so many things I wanted to ask.
But one question mattered more than the others.
"Why does Vanessa hate children?"
Everyone looked at me.
Tasha's face softened.
"Oh, sweetheart."
I stared at my hands.
"Was Caleb bad too?"
"No."
"Then why?"
Tasha paused.
"I don't know everything about Vanessa. But I know she wanted control."
I looked up.
"What does that mean?"
"It means she wanted everyone to do what she said, even when it hurt them."
I thought about my drawings.
My missing necklace.
The dinners I'd eaten alone in my room.
"And if we didn't?"
Tasha looked sad.
"She punished you."
I nodded slowly.
For the first time, I understood something important.
Maybe Vanessa hadn't treated me badly because I wasn't good enough.
Maybe nothing I did could ever have been enough.
Dad seemed to recognize the same thought.
He pulled me close.
"You never had to prove you deserved kindness."
I leaned against him.
The next few days changed everything.
Dad's attorney contacted Andre Williams.
Andre agreed to speak about his experience.
Tasha provided documents.
Angela worked with the financial institution to investigate the transfers.
Dad filed for divorce.
And the family-law attorney helped him make arrangements that kept Vanessa away from me while the case moved forward.
I didn't understand every legal detail.
But I understood one thing.
Dad wasn't going back to pretending everything was fine.
One afternoon, he came home from a meeting looking exhausted.
Grandma asked what had happened.
Dad glanced toward me.
Then he answered carefully.
"The bank found more irregularities."
Grandma gripped the table.
"More money?"
Dad nodded.
"Other accounts. Some personal savings."
I felt a familiar fear.
"Does that mean we don't have enough money?"
Dad immediately knelt beside me.
"No, sweetheart. You're safe. The adults are handling this."
"But our house..."
He shook his head.
"Our home isn't disappearing."
I wanted to believe him.
Then his phone rang.
It was Angela.
He listened for a long time.
His expression changed from worry to disbelief.
"What do you mean she tried to close it?"
A pause.
"When?"
Another pause.
Then Dad said, "Thank you. Preserve everything."
He ended the call.
Grandma looked at him.
"Marcus?"
Dad slowly sat down.
"Vanessa tried to close Willow Creek's main account this morning."
"Can she?"
"Not now. The bank flagged the activity for review."
He looked at me.
Then at Grandma.
"And Angela says Vanessa has booked a one-way flight out of Georgia."
My heart began racing.
May you like
Because suddenly this wasn't only about the money she'd already taken.
Vanessa was trying to disappear before anyone could stop her.
