Chapter 4
I woke up at 7 a.m.
My eyes were swollen shut from crying.
I stumbled out of the guest room and down the stairs.
The kitchen light was still on.
Daniel was sitting at the table, his head in his hands.
Empty coffee cups littered the table around him.
The envelope was empty.
Papers were spread out everywhere.
He looked up when I walked in.
His face was pale.
There were dark circles under his eyes.
“I called the bank at 5 a.m.,” he said.
His voice was rough, like he’d been yelling or crying.
“They confirmed it. The transfers. The checks. The account with her maiden name. It’s all real, Emily. Every last dollar. She took the $80k from Dad’s estate. She moved it in small amounts over six months so no one would notice.”
I sank into a chair across from him.
Relief washed over me, but it was cold.
It didn’t fix the last year of being called a thief.
It didn’t fix the two years of fake meds.
“What about the pharmacy?” I asked.
Daniel flinched.
“I called them too,” he said.
He looked away.
“They said a woman matching Mom’s description has been picking up your prescriptions every month for two years. Said she told them she was your mother-in-law, that you were too sick to come in yourself. They showed me the signature on file. It’s hers. Emily… I’m so sorry. I am so, so sorry.”
He reached across the table for my hand.
I pulled back.
Not because I didn’t want him to touch me.
But because I was angry.
Angry that he’d doubted me.
Angry that it had taken bank records and pharmacy receipts to make him believe me, when I’d been telling him the truth for years.
Before either of us could say more, the front door burst open.
Margaret walked in, followed by Daniel’s younger sister, Lila.
Lila was 24, spoiled, and had hated me since the day Daniel brought me home.
She’d always thought I was after Daniel’s money.
That I wasn’t “good enough” for her perfect brother.
Margaret had been on the phone with her all night, I was sure.
Telling her version of the story.
“Where is she?” Lila yelled, storming into the kitchen.
Her eyes landed on me.
She marched over and stood over me, hands on her hips.
“You evil bitch,” she spat. “You think you can come into this family and tear it apart? You think you can make up lies about my mom to get her out of the way so you can have all of Dad’s money for yourself? Not on my watch.”
“Lila, stop,” Daniel said.
He stood up.
“Mom did it. The bank confirmed it. The pharmacy confirmed it. It’s over.”
Lila looked at him like he’d grown a second head.
“Are you insane?” she said. “She has you brainwashed! Don’t you see? She paid that PI to fake all of it! Mom would never do those things. Never! She loved Dad. She loves us. This is all Emily. It’s always been Emily.”
Margaret stood behind Lila, quiet now.
Her eyes were red, her face pale, but there was a small, smug look on her face.
She knew Lila would fight for her.
She knew Lila would say all the things she was too smart to say herself.
“Look at this,” Lila said, slamming her phone down on the table.
She pulled up a photo.
It was me and Jake, outside the coffee shop three weeks earlier.
We were sitting at an outdoor table.
Jake was leaning forward, his hand on mine, as he explained something on a piece of paper.
Out of context, it looked intimate.
“Look at them,” Lila said. “That’s not business. That’s two people having an affair. She’s been cheating on you for months, Daniel. And when Mom caught her, she panicked and made up this whole story about stealing and birth control to cover her tracks. It’s classic, bro. Cheaters always blame everyone but themselves.”
Daniel stared at the photo.
I saw the doubt creep back into his eyes.
Just like that.
One out-of-context picture, and all the proof from the bank and the pharmacy didn’t matter anymore.
“Daniel,” I said, standing up. “That was the day he brought me the pharmacy records. I was upset. He was comforting me. That’s all.”
“Sure,” Lila sneered. “That’s what they all say. How much did you pay him, Emily? A few thousand? Or did you pay him another way?”
“Get out,” Daniel said quietly.
Lila blinked.
“What?”
“I said get out,” Daniel repeated.
His voice was rising.
“All of you. I don’t want to hear any more lies. I don’t want to see any more photos. I’m tired. I’m so fucking tired of everyone fighting. Mom, go home. Lila, go with her. I need time to think.”
Lila opened her mouth to argue, but Margaret pulled her arm.
“Come on, baby,” Margaret said softly.
She gave Daniel a sad, wounded look.
“We’ll go. We’ll give you all the time you need. But remember one thing, Daniel. I will always love you. No matter what lies she tells you. I will always be your mother.”
They left.
The door clicked shut behind them.
Daniel sank back into his chair.
He put his head in his hands again.
I stood there, watching him.
I wanted to go to him.
I wanted to hold him.
But I was scared.
Scared that the next time Margaret or Lila called, he’d believe them again.
Scared that I’d never be enough to make him choose me over them.
Upstairs, Lila had left her purse on the couch by accident.
I walked over to get it, to bring it out to her before she drove away.
As I picked it up, it fell open.
A second phone slid out.
Not the one Lila used every day.
A cheap, old flip phone.
The screen lit up with a text.
It was from Margaret.
It said: Stick to the plan. The more we make her look like a cheating liar, the less he’ll care about the money. He’ll choose us. He always does.
I stared at the text.
My blood ran cold.
I looked up.
Lila was standing in the open doorway, watching me.
Her face went white.
“Give me that,” she said, running toward me.
May you like
I clutched the phone to my chest.
“Plan?” I said. “What plan, Lila? What else have you two been hiding?”
