Chapter 12: The Deal My Mother Made
The words blurred.
I read them once.
Then again.
I still couldn’t understand.
Transfer of Estate Rights.
My mother’s signature.
Curtis’s name.
My father’s company.
Everything he left behind.
I looked at her.
“Mom.””
She looked like she couldn’t breathe.
“I didn’t know.””
Thomas leaned forward.
“Monique, you signed this.””
She shook her head.
“I know my signature.””
“Then explain.””
She looked at the paper.
Her hands trembled.
“I thought it was temporary.””
I stared.
“Temporary?””
She started crying.
“Curtis told me he needed control of the accounts to settle debts.””
Thomas shook his head.
“There were no debts.””
“I know that now.””
My voice became quiet.
“How much did you give him?””
My mother didn’t answer.
Thomas did.
“Almost everything.””
I closed my eyes.
Everything.
The word repeated.
My father worked his whole life.
And one signature destroyed it.
But I looked at my mother.
And I didn’t see a criminal.
I saw someone who had been broken.
Someone who had trusted the wrong person.
That didn’t erase what happened.
But it explained it.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
She covered her face.
“Because I was ashamed.””
I sat back.
“You let me believe we were struggling.””
“Yes.””
“You let me pay rent.””
“Yes.””
“While he was taking everything.””
She nodded.
“I thought I could fix it.””
I looked away.
“How?””
She whispered:
“I was going to earn it back.””
My heart hurt.
“You thought you could?””
“I thought if I worked enough…”
She stopped.
Because even she knew.
It was impossible.
Thomas closed the folder.
“Daniel suspected Curtis would manipulate her.””
My mother looked up.
“He knew?””
“Yes.””
Thomas pulled out another letter.
“This was written before his death.””
I opened it.
Daniel’s handwriting.
Again.
Monique,
If you are reading this, I hope you understand that I never blamed you.
My eyes filled.
He knew.
He knew everything.
The letter continued.
You have always wanted to see the good in people. That is your gift. But sometimes the people who need saving are the ones who hurt you.
I looked at my mother.
She cried silently.
The final line destroyed me.
Please protect Jada. She is the best thing that ever happened to both of us.
I pressed the letter against my chest.
Daniel wasn’t my biological father.
But he was my father.
No paper could change that.
No test.
No lie.
Nothing.
Thomas cleared his throat.
“There is one more problem.””
I looked up.
“What?””
“Curtis already filed his claim.””
“How long do we have?””
“Seven days.””
My mother looked terrified.
“What happens then?””
“He could gain access to the remaining assets.””
“What remaining assets?””
Thomas looked at me.
“Your father hid one account.””
My heart jumped.
“What?””
“He knew Curtis would try to take everything.””
“Where is it?””
Thomas smiled faintly.
“Only Daniel knew.””
I frowned.
“Then how do we find it?””
Thomas reached into the folder.
He pulled out a small envelope.
“Because Daniel left a clue.””
I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Me.
As a child.
Standing beside my father.
On the back were four words.
*Where our story began.*
I stared.
“What does that mean?””
Thomas shook his head.
“I don’t know.””
My mother touched the photo.
Then suddenly stopped.
Her face changed.
“Wait.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She turned the photograph over again.
Her fingers traced the corner.
“Daniel used to take you here.””
“Where?””
She looked at me.
“The old playground.””
I frowned.
“The one near the lake?””
She nodded.
“The one where he taught you to ride your bike.””
A memory flashed.
A red bicycle.
My father running behind me.
His hand on my back.
His voice.
“Don’t look down, Jada. Keep moving.””
I looked at Thomas.
“You think he hid something there?””
“I think Daniel knew you would remember.””
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A photo.
I opened it.
My blood froze.
It was a picture of us.
Me.
My mother.
Thomas.
Taken from outside his house.
The message appeared.
*“You should have stopped looking.””*
Then another.
*“Now I’m going to show you what your father was really hiding.””*
I stared at the screen.
My mother whispered:
“Curtis.””
And for the first time…
May you like
I wasn’t afraid of what he knew.
I was afraid of what he was about to reveal.