Chapter 4: The Secret Behind the Missing Money
I stood frozen in the hallway, barely breathing.
The house that had always felt familiar suddenly felt like a place filled with locked doors.
My dad’s voice came from downstairs, lower than before.
“Tara, say that again.””
There was a long pause.
Then she answered quietly.
“I said I was going to replace the money before anyone noticed.””
My fingers tightened around the edge of the wall.
Replace what money?
And why was she talking like she had something to hide?
I stepped back before they could hear me and returned to my room.
For the next hour, I stared at the ceiling.
Sleep never came.
The name Tara had mentioned kept repeating in my mind.
Lucas.
My former boyfriend.
The person who had broken my trust two years earlier.
The person who had disappeared after borrowing money from me and leaving behind nothing but excuses.
I hadn’t spoken to him since.
So why was Tara talking about him?
The next morning, I found my dad in the kitchen making coffee.
He looked tired.
Like he hadn’t slept either.
“Dad?””
He looked up.
“Morning.””
I studied his face.
“Who is Lucas?””
The cup stopped halfway to his mouth.
That reaction told me everything.
“You heard us.””
I nodded.
“I wasn’t trying to listen.””
He sighed.
“Emma…”
“No. I deserve to know.””
He put the coffee down.
For a moment, he looked like he was deciding how much truth to give me.
Finally, he said, “Tara contacted him.””
My stomach dropped.
“Why?””
“I don’t know all the details.””
“But you know something.””
He looked away.
“That’s the problem.””
I leaned against the counter.
“What happened?””
Before he could answer, Tara walked into the kitchen.
She stopped when she saw me.
Her expression immediately changed.
“You told her?””
My dad looked at her.
“She deserves to know.””
Tara crossed her arms.
“This is exactly why I didn’t want this discussed.””
I stared at her.
“You brought Lucas into this house?””
She looked uncomfortable.
“It wasn’t like that.””
“Then what was it like?””
She didn’t answer.
My dad stepped in.
“Tara.””
She looked down.
“Lucas contacted me.””
I laughed softly.
Not because it was funny.
Because I couldn’t believe how many secrets had been sitting in my own home.
“For what?””
She hesitated.
“He said he had information.””
“About what?””
Her eyes moved toward me.
And that made my heart race.
“About you.””
I stared at her.
“What could he possibly have to say about me?””
Tara sighed.
“He said you were still angry about what happened between you two. He said you might try to make trouble.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“He told you that?””
“Yes.””
“And you believed him?””
She looked defensive.
“I didn’t know who to believe.””
I looked at my dad.
“Apparently she believed him enough to let him into our lives.””
My dad rubbed his forehead.
“Tara, did Lucas come here?””
The silence answered before she did.
I felt my chest tighten.
“When?””
Tara looked away.
“Last week.””
My voice became quiet.
“Last week?””
She nodded.
“He came by to talk.””
“And you didn’t tell me?””
“You weren’t home.””
“That’s not an answer.””
Tara’s jaw tightened.
“You two have history. I didn’t want to get involved.””
I stared at her.
“You got involved the second you invited him inside.””
The kitchen felt smaller.
My dad looked between us.
“What did Lucas want?””
Tara looked nervous.
“He said he needed money.””
There it was.
The missing piece.
The thing that connected everything.
I felt cold.
“He asked you for money?””
She nodded.
“And you gave it to him?””
“I loaned it.””
My dad’s expression hardened.
“How much?””
Tara didn’t answer.
“Tara.””
She swallowed.
“Several hundred dollars.””
I looked at her.
“And the fifty dollars?””
Her face changed.
“That was separate.””
“Was it?””
She looked offended.
“What are you implying?””
“I’m implying that you lost money because you trusted someone you barely knew, then blamed me because it was easier.””
Her eyes flashed.
“That’s not fair.””
“No?””
I pointed toward the stairs.
“You searched my room.””
She looked down.
For once, she had no response.
My dad grabbed his keys.
“I’m going to talk to Lucas.””
Tara immediately stepped forward.
“No.””
Both of us looked at her.
My dad frowned.
“Why not?””
Her face went pale.
“Because…”
She stopped.
And that pause scared me.
Because it wasn’t the pause of someone protecting a secret.
It was the pause of someone realizing the secret was about to come out.
“Because he’s not the person you think he is,” she whispered.
My dad stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
Tara looked at me.
Then at him.
And quietly said:
“Because Lucas didn’t just ask me for money.””
She reached into her purse.
Pulled out her phone.
May you like
And opened a message.
“I gave him something else.””
