Chapter 4: The Truth About My Mother
My father didn’t answer for almost a minute.
That was the longest minute of my life.
Because sometimes silence is an answer.
And I already knew I wouldn’t like it.
“Maya,” he finally said, “your mother’s death was an accident.””
I stared at him.
“That’s not what I asked.””
He looked exhausted.
“You’re too young to understand.””
I laughed.
A bitter sound.
“That’s what everyone says when they want to hide something.””
His face changed.
Because he knew I was right.
He sat down.
“Your mother had been suspicious of Vanessa.””
“Why?””
“I don’t know.””
“You just said she was suspicious.””
“She thought Vanessa was hiding something.””
I gripped the notebook.
“What happened?””
My father looked at the floor.
“The night your mother died, she was going to meet someone.””
“Who?””
“Rachel.””
The name felt like a door opening.
A door that had been locked for years.
“Why?””
“I don’t know.””
“You keep saying that.””
“Because I don’t.””
I stared at him.
“But you know something.””
He didn’t deny it.
That was enough.
“After the accident,” he said quietly, “Vanessa was the one who helped me through everything.””
I almost smiled.
Of course.
The perfect timing.
The perfect rescue.
The perfect story.
“She was already planning to be part of your life,” I said.
My father looked up sharply.
“What?””
“She didn’t just appear.””
He said nothing.
And that silence confirmed it.
That night, I searched through everything.
The notebook.
The documents.
The messages.
Until I found a photograph hidden inside my mother’s notebook.
It showed my mother standing outside a restaurant.
Beside her was Rachel.
And behind them…
Vanessa.
My heart dropped.
Because the date was printed at the bottom.
Two days before my mother died.
I brought the picture to my father.
He stared at it.
“I didn’t know about this.””
“She knew Rachel.””
“Yes.””
“And Vanessa was there.””
“I don’t know why.””
I looked at him.
“Dad.””
He looked broken.
“What?””
“Mom was trying to tell you something.””
He closed his eyes.
“I know.””
The honesty shocked me.
“You know?””
“I found a letter after she died.””
I froze.
“What letter?””
He looked ashamed.
“I never read all of it.””
“Why?””
“Because I was afraid.””
I couldn’t believe it.
My father.
The man who fixed everything.
Was afraid of a letter.
“Where is it?””
He went upstairs.
When he returned, he held a sealed envelope.
My mother’s handwriting was on the front.
Marcus.
I touched it carefully.
“What does it say?””
“I don’t know.””
“You never opened it?””
He shook his head.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Then we open it now.””
He nodded.
Together, we broke the seal.
Inside was one page.
One paragraph.
And one sentence that changed everything.
“Marcus, if anything happens to me, do not trust Vanessa.””
My father went completely still.
The rest of the letter explained that my mother believed Vanessa had been manipulating people around her.
But the final line was the one that mattered.
“She knows about the account.””
“What account?”” I whispered.
My father looked confused.
“I don’t know.””
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“Who is it?””
He didn’t answer.
The name displayed on the screen.
Vanessa.
He picked up.
“Where are you?””
A pause.
Then his expression hardened.
“What do you mean you found it?””
I looked at him.
Found what?
He ended the call.
“She found something.””
“What?””
May you like
He grabbed his keys.
“The thing your mother was trying to protect.””
