Chapter 6: The Woman Who Was There Before
I couldn’t move.
The words stayed in the air between us.
*She was there long before you knew her.*
My father had always told me stories about my mother.
Small stories.
Safe stories.
How she used to sing while cooking even though she couldn’t remember all the lyrics.
How she laughed so loudly that strangers in restaurants would smile.
How she kept every drawing I made when I was little, even the ones that looked like random circles and scribbles.
But Vanessa?
Vanessa had never been part of those stories.
Not once.
“Dad,” I whispered.
He looked at me.
“What happened?””
Marcus sat down slowly.
The tired look on his face was different now.
Before, he looked like someone trying to solve a problem.
Now he looked like someone opening a door he had kept locked for years.
“Your mother’s name was Rachel.””
I nodded.
I knew that.
“Before I met Vanessa, before I remarried, before everything changed…”
He stopped.
“She knew Rachel.””
I felt a chill.
“How?””
Dad looked down at his hands.
“They worked together.””
I blinked.
“My mom and Vanessa?””
“Yes.””
“How come you never told me?””
He looked at me.
“Because I didn’t think it mattered.””
I stared at him.
“But it does.””
“I know.””
His voice was quiet.
“I know now.””
I waited.
The kitchen clock ticked above us.
Every second felt louder.
Finally, Dad continued.
“Rachel and Vanessa weren’t close friends.””
That surprised me.
“Then what?””
“They knew each other through work. They were friendly. They talked sometimes.””
“About me?””
Dad hesitated.
“Yes.””
My stomach tightened.
“What did Vanessa know?””
He looked uncomfortable.
“Your mother talked about you a lot.””
I smiled faintly.
“That sounds like Mom.””
“It does.””
For a moment, the sadness in his face softened.
Then it disappeared.
“But after your mother passed away, Vanessa reached out.””
I frowned.
“Why?””
“She said she wanted to help.””
The way he said it told me there was more.
“And?””
Dad looked away.
“At the time, I thought she was just being kind.””
I swallowed.
“And now?””
He didn’t answer.
Because we both knew.
The woman who had offered support had eventually become the person trying to take things away.
Dad opened the laptop again.
He showed me the email account.
The one connected to my mother’s old name.
“It’s not actually your mother’s account.””
I looked closer.
“It’s fake?””
“Yes.””
“Then why use her name?””
Dad’s jaw tightened.
“That’s what we need to find out.””
A notification appeared.
Another email.
This time from the school.
Attached were the original records.
Dad opened them carefully.
The first few pages were normal.
My application.
My teacher recommendations.
My acceptance.
Then there was a communication log.
A list of messages sent and received.
One entry caught my eye.
*Family Contact Inquiry — Nia Carter*
Date:
Three months earlier.
Sender:
A secondary account.
Dad clicked.
A message appeared.
*I am concerned Nia is placing unrealistic expectations on herself. She has become overly focused on achievement and may need intervention before continuing with advanced programs.*
My heart dropped.
“Overly focused?””
Dad looked angry.
“That’s not what her teachers said.””
“No.””
I read the message again.
The words sounded like Vanessa.
Calm.
Reasonable.
Concerned.
Exactly the way she always spoke when she wanted someone to believe her.
Then I noticed something.
A line at the bottom.
*Relationship to student: Family guardian.*
I pointed.
“Dad.””
He looked.
His expression changed.
“Vanessa listed herself as my guardian?””
“She’s my stepmom.””
“Yes, but she isn’t your legal guardian.””
I looked confused.
“What’s the difference?””
Dad closed the laptop.
“It means she claimed authority she didn’t have.””
The room went silent.
I thought about every time Vanessa had told me what I could and couldn’t do.
Every time she said she knew what was best.
Maybe she believed it.
Maybe she didn’t.
But either way, she had crossed a line.
That afternoon, Dad asked me to stay home from school.
Not because I was in trouble.
Because he wanted to talk.
And because he wanted to make sure I was okay.
We sat in the living room.
Caleb joined us.
He looked nervous.
“Are we talking about Vanessa?””
Dad nodded.
“Yes.””
Caleb pulled his knees up.
“Is she leaving?””
Dad sighed.
“I don’t know.””
Caleb looked at me.
“Is this because of you?””
My heart broke.
“No.””
He looked uncertain.
“But everything started because of Nia’s award.””
I moved closer.
“Caleb.””
He looked at me.
“She didn’t do this because of me.””
I said it slowly.
“Her choices are hers.””
Dad nodded.
“That’s important to remember.””
Caleb was quiet.
Then he whispered:
“I miss when things were normal.””
Nobody answered.
Because we all did.
Later that evening, Dad received another message from Elena.
This time, it was longer.
He read it first.
Then he asked if I wanted to see.
I nodded.
The message began:
*Marcus, I’m sorry you’re learning this way. I didn’t know if I should contact Nia. I stayed silent for years because I didn’t want to reopen old wounds.*
Dad’s expression changed.
He continued reading.
*But when I saw what happened with her scholarship application, I realized silence was protecting Vanessa, not Nia.*
I kept reading.
*After Rachel died, Vanessa became close to your family because she believed she could fix what was broken. But over time, she became convinced that she was the only person who truly understood what Nia needed.*
I frowned.
“She thought she knew me better than everyone?””
Dad nodded.
The message continued.
*That was the same mistake she made with Lily. She believed love gave her control.*
I looked away.
Love.
Was that what Vanessa thought this was?
I wasn’t sure.
Then the final paragraph appeared.
*There is one thing you should know. Rachel discovered something about Vanessa before she died. She planned to confront her about it.*
Dad stopped reading.
My heart started beating faster.
“What?””
He looked at the screen.
“I don’t know.””
“What did Mom discover?””
He scrolled.
But the message ended there.
A missing piece.
A sentence that raised more questions than answers.
Dad immediately replied.
*What did Rachel discover?*
We waited.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Twenty.
No response.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I looked at Dad.
He nodded.
“Answer it.””
I pressed the button.
“Hello?””
At first, there was only silence.
Then a woman’s voice.
“Nia?””
I froze.
Because I recognized it.
Not from a conversation.
Not from a memory.
From somewhere else.
A voice I had heard every day for years.
A voice that had told me to study harder.
A voice that had packed my lunch.
A voice that had stood in my kitchen and lied to me.
“Vanessa?””
Dad immediately stood up.
“Nia, put it on speaker.””
I did.
Vanessa’s voice came through.
She sounded different.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Scared.
“Listen to me.””
Dad stepped closer.
“Where are you?””
“Marcus, I don’t have much time.””
“What does that mean?””
A pause.
Then she whispered:
“I know what Rachel found.””
The room went still.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
Dad’s voice became sharp.
“What did she find?””
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“She found out I wasn’t trying to hurt Nia.””
I frowned.
Dad looked confused.
“Then what were you doing?””
Silence.
Then Vanessa said the words that made my blood run cold.
“I was trying to stop someone else from getting to her.””
Nobody spoke.
Because suddenly the story changed.
Vanessa had done terrible things.
But according to her…
She wasn’t the only person hiding something.
And before we could ask another question, the call ended.
A second later, a message appeared on my phone.
From Vanessa.
May you like
One sentence.
*Don’t trust the person who sent you that email.*
