Maya did not open the envelope immediately.
Daniel took it from her.
He examined the front and back without touching the seal.
“No fingerprints we can use,” he said.
“Open it.”
Daniel slid a letter opener beneath the flap.
Inside was a single sheet.
Maya read it over his shoulder.
Her father wanted to meet.
No lawyers.
No Elena.
No Margaret.
Just Maya.
The meeting place was an old restaurant near the river where their family had celebrated her grandfather's retirement.
At the bottom, her father had written:
“You have one day to decide whether this becomes a family matter or a legal one.”
Elena swore under her breath.
Maya folded the paper.
“He's scared.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Maybe.”
“He wouldn't threaten me if he weren't.”
“Don't mistake pressure for fear.”
Maya knew he was right.
She looked at the clock.
“I'll go.”
Elena immediately shook her head.
“No.”
“He asked for me.”
“That doesn't mean you go alone.”
“I won't.”
Daniel stepped in.
“I'll be nearby.”
Maya nodded.
The next afternoon, she entered the restaurant alone.
Her father sat in the back booth.
He looked older than he had two days earlier.
His suit was immaculate.
His hands were not.
He kept turning his wedding ring around his finger.
Maya sat across from him.
“You broke into my apartment.”
“I didn't.”
“Someone did.”
“I know.”
“You knew the trust papers were there.”
Her father looked down.
“Maya, you're making assumptions.”
“You stole eighteen thousand dollars from me.”
“I borrowed it.”
“You took money from an account you had no right to touch.”
He sighed.
“Your grandfather made things unnecessarily complicated.”
Maya leaned forward.
“Tell me the truth.”
Her father stared at her.
“What truth do you think you know?”
“That Granddad created an inheritance for me.”
“He created a trust.”
“You knew about it.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because you weren't ready.”
Maya almost smiled.
“You decided that?”
“I was your father.”
“That doesn't answer the question.”
He looked away.
“The money was tied up in legal problems.”
“What legal problems?”
“Thomas Vale.”
Maya went still.
Her father noticed.
“So you've spoken to Margaret.”
“Yes.”
His jaw tightened.
“She shouldn't have involved herself.”
“What happened to Thomas?”
“He stole from us.”
“Margaret says you framed him.”
Her father laughed once.
“Margaret was never there.”
“She has the records.”
“Records can be interpreted.”
Maya watched him.
“You're still lying.”
Her father's expression hardened.
“I protected this family.”
“You protected yourself.”
He leaned toward her.
“You don't understand what happened.”
“Then explain it.”
For the first time, something like fear crossed his face.
“Thomas wanted to expose everything.”
“What everything?”
“The transfers.”
Maya waited.
Her father lowered his voice.
“Your grandfather had debts.”
Maya frowned.
“That isn't what the records say.”
“Because the records were cleaned.”
“By whom?”
He didn't answer.
“By you?”
Her father looked at the table.
“No.”
Maya's stomach tightened.
“Then who?”
He finally said, “Your grandfather.”
The answer made no sense.
“Why would he?”
“Because some of the money wasn't ours.”
Maya stared.
“What does that mean?”
Her father rubbed his forehead.
“Your grandfather invested with people he shouldn't have.”
“Who?”
“Thomas knew.”
“And you?”
“I knew enough.”
Maya leaned back.
The story was becoming darker, not clearer.
“Then why did Granddad leave me the trust?”
“Because he felt guilty.”
“About what?”
Her father looked at her.
“About you.”
Maya's throat tightened.
“Me?”
“He believed you were the only person in the family who hadn't benefited from what he had done.”
Maya remembered the letter.
If anyone tells you this money never existed, ask them why they were willing to lie.
“Then why did you take it?”
Her father said nothing.
“Dad.”
He looked at her.
“I needed it.”
“For what?”
“To settle a debt.”
“What debt?”
He stared at the window.
“Your sister's wedding wasn't the reason.”
Maya's pulse quickened.
“Then what was?”
Her father reached into his jacket.
He placed a photograph on the table.
It showed a young woman standing beside a hospital bed.
Maya recognized her mother.
But the woman in the bed was not Elena.
It was someone Maya had never seen before.
A newborn was wrapped in a white blanket.
Maya turned the photograph over.
A date was written on the back.
The night Elena was born.
“Who is the baby?”
Her father closed his eyes.
“I can't tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because if I do, you will never look at your mother the same way again.”
Maya pushed the photograph back.
“Tell me.”
Her father shook his head.
“No.”
“Then I'll find out myself.”
She stood.
He caught her wrist.
“Maya.”
She looked down at his hand.
He released her.
“Please.”
It was the first time her father had ever sounded frightened when speaking to her.
Maya picked up the photograph.
“I'll see you in court.”
She walked away.
Outside, Daniel was waiting across the street.
“What happened?”
Maya handed him the photograph.
He studied it.
“This is Elena's birth date.”
“Yes.”
“Who is the woman in the bed?”
“My mother.”
“And the baby?”
“I don't know.”
They returned to Maya's apartment.
Elena was waiting.
When Maya placed the photograph on the table, Elena stared at it.
Then she whispered, “That's not me.”
Maya looked at her.
“How do you know?”
Elena pointed to the blanket.
“My mother told me I was born at another hospital.”
Silence.
Maya turned to Daniel.
“Can we verify that?”
“Birth records.”
Elena's hands began shaking.
“My parents lied about where I was born.”
Maya looked again at the photograph.
A hospital bracelet was visible around the baby's wrist.
The name was partially covered.
Only three letters could be seen.
Maya lifted the photograph closer.
E-L-I.
Elena whispered, “What if that isn't my name?”
Nobody answered.
Because the question had already become more frightening than the possibility.
Click here to continue reading: PART 7: The Hospital Record Carried a Name Elena Had Never Heard, and Maya Realized the Secret Reached Further Back Than Her Own Childhood
The Call Came During the Toast, and by the Time She Answered, Her Family Had Already Made Their Choice
Part 6 of 20
