Chapter 4: The Daughter My Mother Erased
“She's coming for the trust. And this time, she's not planning to leave any witnesses.””
Rebecca's words echoed through my father's study.
I gripped the phone so tightly my fingers hurt.
“What do you mean, no witnesses?””
“I can't explain everything over the phone.””
“Then tell me where you are. I'll come to you.””
“No.”” Her answer came immediately.
“You don't understand. Your mother has people watching you.””
I glanced toward the window.
The driveway lights illuminated the empty parking spaces. My mother's Mercedes was gone, but a black SUV sat near the entrance gate.
“Rebecca, listen to me. My daughter almost drowned today. My mother deliberately damaged her life jacket. I'm done being afraid of Diane.””
Rebecca went silent.
Then she whispered, “She tried to drown your daughter?””
“Yes.””
“Oh, God.””
There was something in her voice that frightened me more than the words themselves.
“You know something,” I said.
“Your father told me Diane would eventually do something desperate if she thought she was losing control of the trust.””
“Why would he know that?””
“Because she tried it before.””
I stopped breathing.
“What?””
Rebecca exhaled shakily.
“Not with you. With me.””
Before I could ask another question, the call disconnected.
I immediately called back.
The number was unavailable.
“Mrs. Whitmore?””
Monica stood in the doorway.
I turned toward her.
“Get the front gates locked. Nobody enters without my permission.””
“Is something wrong?””
“My mother may be watching the house.””
Monica's face tightened.
“Should I call security?””
“Yes. And I want the police here.””
She nodded and reached for her phone.
I returned to the desk and examined the photograph.
The woman holding the baby had my father's eyes.
The same dark brown eyes I saw every morning in the mirror.
I turned the photograph over.
On the back, beneath my father's handwriting, was another sentence I hadn't noticed.
Rebecca Anne Whitmore. Born March 14.
My birthday was November 22.
We had different mothers.
At least, that was what I was beginning to understand.
I opened the envelope again.
There was a second letter, sealed with my father's initials.
I carefully unfolded it.
Jasmine,
You have spent your entire life believing you were my only daughter. That was never true.
Rebecca was born from a relationship I had before I married Diane. I made mistakes. I hurt people. But Rebecca was never a mistake.
When Diane discovered her existence, she made an arrangement with Rebecca's mother. Money was exchanged. Documents were signed. Rebecca disappeared from our lives.
I tried to correct what I had done, but Diane threatened to destroy the family if I acknowledged Rebecca publicly.
I was weak.
I am sorry.
I lowered the letter.
My father had been dead for seven years.
There was nobody left to answer the questions filling my head.
Except my mother.
And I suddenly understood why she had been so frightened when she saw the note.
This wasn't just about money.
It was about a secret she had buried for decades.
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
*Unknown:* Your mother knows you opened the safe.
A second message followed.
*Unknown:* Check the driveway camera.
I rushed toward the security room.
Monica was already staring at the monitors.
“Mrs. Whitmore, there's a problem.””
The black SUV had disappeared.
But the camera showed something else.
A man wearing a baseball cap had approached the side entrance.
He placed a small package beside the door.
Then he walked away.
“Did you recognize him?”” I asked.
“No.””
“Call the police.””
Monica did.
Within minutes, two officers arrived. They examined the package and discovered it contained a flash drive wrapped in a white envelope.
The note on the envelope contained only four words.
*Your father lied. Watch.*
I looked at Monica.
“Did the officers inspect it?””
“They said not to connect it to any computer until they could examine it safely.””
I nodded.
An hour later, the police had secured the package and arranged for a digital examination.
By then, Daniel had arrived.
He entered the study carrying a thick folder.
“Jasmine, I obtained the original filing.””
He placed the documents on my father's desk.
“The amendment transferring control of the trust was submitted three years ago.””
I looked at the signature.
It resembled mine.
Almost perfectly.
But something was wrong.
The letter J in my signature always had a long downward stroke.
This one didn't.
“I didn't sign that.””
Daniel nodded.
“I suspected as much.””
“Who witnessed it?””
He pointed to a name.
“Your mother's personal financial adviser.””
I read it twice.
“Arthur Collins?””
“Yes. He also notarized the document.””
I remembered Arthur.
He had attended family dinners for years. He used to bring my mother expensive flowers and called her his closest friend.
“Is he still working for her?””
Daniel hesitated.
“Not officially.””
“What does that mean?””
“He resigned six months ago.””
“Why?””
Daniel opened another page.
“Because the trust's auditors discovered irregular transfers.””
My stomach tightened.
“How much money?””
“Approximately six million dollars.””
I sat down.
“Six million?””
“Transferred through several companies over three years. The transactions were disguised as property management expenses.””
“Where did the money go?””
“That's what we're investigating.””
I looked at the photograph of Rebecca.
“Could the money have gone to her?””
Daniel studied the image.
“Who is she?””
“My sister.””
His expression changed.
I handed him my father's letter.
He read it in silence.
Then he removed his glasses.
“Jasmine, there's something you need to know about your father's trust.””
“What?””
“The beneficiary wasn't supposed to receive the entire estate.””
I frowned.
“Then who else was named?””
Daniel turned to the original agreement.
He pointed to a paragraph near the bottom.
Two beneficiaries were listed.
Jasmine Whitmore.
Rebecca Anne Whitmore.
I stared at the page.
“Rebecca was supposed to inherit half?””
“Yes.””
“And my mother knew?””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“According to this agreement, she was responsible for notifying both beneficiaries.””
I felt sick.
For seven years, my mother had allowed me to believe I had inherited everything.
She had controlled the money.
She had controlled the paperwork.
And she had kept my sister's existence a secret.
“Why did Dad leave the photograph in the safe?”” I whispered.
Daniel looked at me.
“Perhaps he knew the truth would eventually come out.””
My phone rang.
It was the hospital.
I answered immediately.
“Hello?””
“Mrs. Whitmore? This is Nurse Patricia from the pediatric unit.””
My heart raced.
“Is Lily okay?””
“She's stable, but there's someone here asking to see her.””
“Who?””
“Your mother.””
I stood so quickly that my chair fell backward.
“Do not let her near my daughter.””
The nurse lowered her voice.
“She says she's Lily's grandmother and that you gave her permission.””
“I did not.””
“Understood. We've asked her to wait outside.””
I looked at Daniel.
“She's at the hospital.””
He reached for his coat.
“Then we're going there.””
As I grabbed my purse, my phone vibrated again.
Another message.
This time, it came from Rebecca.
*I found the original beneficiary certificate.*
Then a photograph appeared.
It showed a document bearing my father's signature.
And beneath it was a handwritten note.
*If Diane finds this certificate, neither daughter will be safe.*
I stared at the screen.
Rebecca sent one final message.
*Jasmine, your mother didn't just steal our inheritance. She changed the identity of one of the beneficiaries.*
I looked at Daniel.
“What does that mean?””
He read the message.
May you like
Then his face went completely white.
“Jasmine,” he whispered, “I think we need to find out who your mother has been pretending to protect all these years.””
