Chapter 5: The Last Piece Of Evidence
My father drove faster than I had ever seen him drive.
The entire way, he barely spoke.
I sat in the passenger seat holding my mother’s notebook.
Lily sat in the back.
None of us knew where we were going.
Only that Vanessa had found something.
And whatever it was had scared my father.
We stopped outside a storage facility across town.
I looked at him.
“Why are we here?””
He stared at the building.
“Your mother rented a unit.””
My heart started pounding.
“After she died?””
He nodded.
“I found the paperwork months later.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because I didn’t know what was inside.””
“And now Vanessa does?””
He didn’t answer.
That was enough.
Inside the unit, my father entered a code.
The door rolled open.
Dust filled the air.
Old boxes.
Furniture.
A life someone had hidden away.
My mother’s life.
We searched for almost twenty minutes.
Then Lily called out.
“Dad?””
We turned.
She was holding a small wooden box.
My father rushed over.
“Where did you find that?””
“Behind this shelf.””
His face changed.
Like he recognized it.
He opened it.
Inside were papers.
A flash drive.
And a photo.
The photo showed Vanessa.
With a man none of us knew.
My father picked up the papers.
His hands started shaking.
“What is it?”” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
I grabbed the top page.
And read.
A bank transfer.
A large amount of money.
From my father’s account.
To Vanessa.
But the date was before they were married.
“She was stealing from you?””
My father looked devastated.
“No.””
He turned the page.
“It was worse.””
There was a second document.
A life insurance policy.
My name was listed.
My father’s name.
And Vanessa as the beneficiary.
I felt sick.
“She would get everything?””
My father nodded slowly.
“She planned this before she joined our family.””
A noise came from behind us.
The storage door.
Closing.
We turned.
Vanessa stood there.
She wasn’t pretending anymore.
No fake tears.
No sweet voice.
Just anger.
“You were never supposed to find that.””
My father stepped forward.
“Why, Vanessa?””
She laughed softly.
“After everything I did for this family, that’s what you ask?””
“You lied to me.””
“I protected you.””
“You destroyed my daughter’s life.””
Vanessa looked at me.
“No.””
Her voice became cold.
“She destroyed herself.””
I stepped forward.
“You manipulated everyone.””
She smiled.
“You still don’t understand.””
“Understand what?””
She reached into her bag.
Pulled out a phone.
And pressed a button.
A recording started playing.
My father’s voice.
Saying things he had never said.
Things that sounded terrible.
My blood went cold.
Vanessa watched my reaction.
“I knew you would find the box.””
My father stared at the phone.
“What did you do?””
She smiled.
“I made sure the truth would never belong to you.””
Then she looked directly at me.
“And Maya?””
I froze.
“What?””
She lifted the phone.
“This is only the beginning.””
The recording continued.
And my father heard a sentence that made him turn completely pale.
Because it was his own voice.
May you like
Saying:
“I wish Maya had never been born.””
