Chapter 4: The Truth Comes Out
The next few days felt like living inside a storm.
Nobody screamed.
Nobody slammed doors.
That almost made it worse.
The silence was heavy.
Dad spent hours making phone calls.
He spoke with the bank.
He spoke with a lawyer.
And every time he came home, his expression became more serious.
I wanted to believe Jessica regretted what she did.
But regret didn’t erase betrayal.
One evening, I found her sitting alone in the kitchen.
For a moment, I remembered the old Jessica.
The woman who made hot chocolate when I was sick.
The woman who cheered at my graduation.
I almost felt sorry.
Almost.
“Jasmine,” she said quietly.
I stopped.
“We need to talk.””
I stayed standing.
“About what?””
She looked down.
“About everything.””
I waited.
“I know I hurt you.””
I said nothing.
“I got scared.””
“Scared of what?””
She sighed.
“Losing control.””
I frowned.
“You tried to control me.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I know.””
For the first time, she admitted it.
“I thought if Tyler failed, I failed.””
I shook my head.
“So you sacrificed me?””
“No.””
“Yes.””
The word came out stronger than I expected.
“You looked at me like I wasn’t family.””
She started crying.
“I was wrong.””
I looked away.
Because the hardest part wasn’t that Jessica hurt me.
It was that she used to love me.
Later that night, Dad called us all into the living room.
Tyler sat on the couch.
Jessica beside him.
I sat next to Dad.
He placed a folder on the table.
“I have spoken with the bank.””
Jessica looked nervous.
“And?””
Dad looked at her.
“The loan application using Jasmine’s identity has been frozen.””
Tyler looked down.
Jessica whispered:
“David…”
He continued.
“I also learned the truth about the money.””
Nobody moved.
“Jessica has been using our joint account to pay Tyler’s expenses.””
Tyler looked shocked.
“Mom?””
Jessica closed her eyes.
Dad looked at Tyler.
“Did you know?””
Tyler swallowed.
“Some of it.””
That hurt more than I expected.
Dad nodded slowly.
“Thank you for telling the truth.””
Jessica looked at him.
“David, please.””
He shook his head.
“I don’t know who you became.””
The room went silent.
Then something unexpected happened.
Tyler stood up.
“I’m sorry.””
Everyone looked at him.
He looked at me.
“Jasmine.””
I didn’t answer.
“I really didn’t think it would go this far.””
I crossed my arms.
“That’s the problem.””
He looked down.
“You thought it was okay.””
He nodded.
“I did.””
For the first time, Tyler looked ashamed.
Dad stood.
“This family needs honesty.””
Jessica wiped her tears.
“I can fix this.””
Dad looked at her.
“Can you?””
She didn’t answer.
Because we all knew some things couldn’t be repaired quickly.
That night, I went to my room.
I opened my closet.
My bag was still there.
The same bag Jessica told me to take and leave.
I touched the handle.
A strange feeling came over me.
I realized something.
I wasn’t packing anymore.
I was unpacking.
The next morning, Dad knocked on my door.
“Jasmine?””
“Come in.””
He entered holding an envelope.
“What’s that?””
He sat beside me.
“This came in the mail.””
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
At first, I thought it was another bank document.
Then I saw the name.
My mother’s name.
My hands started shaking.
“Dad…”
He looked surprised too.
“I don’t know what that is.””
I opened the letter.
The first sentence made my heart stop.
“Dear Jasmine, if you are reading this, then the truth about your family has finally come out…”
I looked at Dad.
Neither of us understood.
May you like
Because my mother had been gone for nine years.
So who had sent me this letter?
