Chapter 6: The Girl Who Wanted to Meet Her Sister
I didn't say anything.
I just stood in the kitchen holding my phone.
Vanessa was staring at me.
Rebecca had stopped writing.
Malik moved closer to Nia.
Finally, I managed to speak.
“Why would Sophie want to contact Nia?””
Margaret sighed.
“Because she knows she has a younger sister.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She shook her head frantically.
“Daniel, don't listen to her.””
I turned away.
“Please continue, Margaret.””
“Sophie found some old photographs in her adoption records. She recognized Vanessa. Then she found a birthday card with Nia's name written on it.””
“How old is Sophie?””
“Fifteen.””
I looked at Nia.
Ten years old.
Two sisters who had grown up in different homes without knowing each other.
Margaret continued.
“Sophie has been asking questions for months. She wanted to know whether her mother had remarried, whether she had other children, and whether she could meet them.””
I swallowed.
“What did you tell her?””
“The truth. That she had a younger sister named Nia.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Margaret, you promised you wouldn't interfere!””
Margaret heard her.
“Vanessa?””
My wife snatched the phone from my hand.
“You have no right to contact this family!””
Margaret's voice became firm.
“I didn't contact you. Sophie did.””
Vanessa's fingers tightened around the phone.
“You need to leave her alone.””
“She's fifteen years old. She has questions about her family.””
“She has a family!””
“Yes,” Margaret replied.
“She does. And she's happy. But being happy doesn't mean she has no right to know where she came from.””
Vanessa hung up.
The room went silent.
I slowly held out my hand.
“Give me the phone.””
She handed it over.
Then she started pacing.
“This is exactly what I was afraid of.””
I looked at her.
“What were you afraid of?””
“That Sophie would come back and demand everything.””
“Everything?””
“The money. The attention. The family.””
I stared at her.
“You're talking about your daughter.””
Vanessa rubbed her forehead.
“You don't understand. Sophie has always been difficult.””
Ethan finally looked up.
“That's not true.””
Vanessa spun around.
“Stay out of this!””
“You abandoned her,” Ethan said.
“You signed the adoption papers because you wanted to start over. Margaret raised her. She's been a good kid.””
Vanessa slapped the table.
“You don't know what I went through!””
Ethan stood.
“I know what happened. I was there when you asked our mother for money.””
I turned toward him.
“Wait. You knew about Sophie before I married Vanessa?””
Ethan hesitated.
Then he nodded.
I felt my chest tighten.
“How long?””
“Since the year before your wedding.””
“And you let me marry her without telling me?””
“I thought Vanessa had changed.””
I looked at my brother.
“You both decided what I was allowed to know about my own family.””
He lowered his eyes.
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I walked into the living room and sat beside my children.
Nia was holding the white-and-blue envelope.
“Daddy?””
I looked at her.
“Yes, sweetheart?””
“Do I have another sister?””
I took her hand.
“Maybe. We need to understand everything first.””
“Is she mean?””
“No, baby.””
“How do you know?””
I smiled sadly.
“I don't know yet. But I do know you haven't done anything wrong.””
Nia stared at the envelope.
“Can I meet her?””
I looked at Malik.
He shrugged.
“I think you should get to know her if you want to.””
Then he added quietly, “You deserve someone who wants to spend time with you.””
Those words stayed with me.
I returned to the kitchen.
Rebecca was reviewing the trust documents.
“Daniel, I recommend that you don't make any decisions about Sophie's financial arrangements until we've verified the records. Your mother's estate documents clearly establish the purpose of the trust.””
“What is that purpose?””
She turned the page toward me.
“Education, housing, medical care, and general welfare. Vanessa isn't listed as the controlling beneficiary.””
I looked at the signature section.
There was another name.
Margaret Ellis.
“She manages the trust?””
“Correct. Your mother specifically appointed an independent trustee after discovering the earlier adoption dispute.””
I looked at Vanessa.
“Did you know about this?””
She nodded reluctantly.
“I knew your mother had created something.””
“Then why were you transferring money from my household account?””
“Because I needed money for Sophie.””
“You had a trust available for her.””
Vanessa's eyes filled.
“The trust wasn't enough.””
Rebecca interrupted.
“The trust has a current balance of $173,000. It also pays certain educational expenses directly.””
Vanessa looked away.
I stared at the number.
My mother had quietly protected this child for years.
And Vanessa had been taking money from the household while telling my children there wasn't enough food for everyone.
“Where did the money go?”” I asked again.
Vanessa finally sat down.
“Some of it went to Sophie.””
“And the rest?””
She didn't answer.
Rebecca pulled out a statement.
“We traced several transfers to a property management company. The company owns a condominium in Columbus, Ohio.””
I frowned.
“Who owns it?””
Rebecca looked at Vanessa.
“Your wife.””
Vanessa's face went pale.
I stared at her.
“You bought a condo?””
She shook her head.
“It's complicated.””
“With what money?””
“Some of it was mine.””
Rebecca placed another paper on the table.
“The purchase was financed partly through funds transferred from Daniel's household account.””
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The money that should have paid for groceries, school expenses, and the children's needs had been used to purchase property.
But something still didn't make sense.
“Why Ohio?””
Vanessa looked at me.
For the first time, her expression wasn't angry.
It was frightened.
“Because I was planning to move.””
I stared at her.
“With whom?””
She didn't answer.
Rebecca opened her folder again.
“We also found a preliminary lease termination notice for this property and a reservation for a one-way flight.””
I looked at the date.
Three weeks from now.
Then I saw the passenger names.
Vanessa Carter.
Ethan Carter.
My hands went cold.
I turned toward my brother.
“Why is your name on a flight with my wife?””
Ethan stood abruptly.
“Daniel, that's not what you think.””
“Then tell me what it is.””
He looked at Vanessa.
She began shaking her head.
Ethan finally spoke.
“We were going to take the children.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
Vanessa started crying.
“We thought it would be better if everyone had a fresh start.””
I stepped closer.
“Everyone?””
She looked down.
“Malik and Nia were supposed to come with us.””
I stared at the two names on the reservation.
Then I noticed something else.
There were only two passenger tickets.
Vanessa and Ethan.
No tickets for Malik.
No tickets for Nia.
I pointed at the document.
“Where were my children supposed to go?””
Vanessa's voice broke.
“I hadn't figured that out yet.””
Malik stood behind me.
“You were going to leave us?””
Vanessa looked at him.
“Malik, I was trying to arrange things.””
“You told us Dad didn't want us!””
She covered her mouth.
Nia began crying.
I wrapped an arm around both children.
Then Rebecca quietly placed another document on the table.
“Daniel, there's one more thing. This flight wasn't booked for a vacation.””
I looked at her.
She pointed to the reservation details.
“The destination is Ohio. And the booking was made two days after Margaret filed a request to have Sophie's trust reviewed.””
I turned toward Vanessa.
“Were you planning to take Sophie, too?””
Vanessa's lips trembled.
“No.””
“Then what were you planning to do in Ohio?””
She looked at Ethan.
He stepped backward.
And for the first time that night, my brother looked as though he was afraid of my wife.
“Daniel,” Ethan whispered, “you need to see the message she sent me before we booked those tickets.””
He unlocked his phone.
Then he placed it on the table.
May you like
The message was only one sentence.
Once we get Nia's trust transferred, nobody will ever be able to tell us what to do again.
