Chapter 7 - The Inheritance Nobody Knew About
The signature at the bottom of the document was impossible.
I stared at it.
Then I looked at my mother.
Then at Daniel.
Nobody wanted to speak.
Because everyone in that room knew what that signature meant.
Someone had been hiding a truth that was never supposed to be discovered.
"Whose signature is that?"
My voice was barely a whisper.
Sarah looked at me.
"I think you already know."
I shook my head.
"No."
I pointed at the document.
"Tell me."
Sarah took a deep breath.
"The signature belongs to your father."
The room froze.
My father.
A man I had spent my entire life believing abandoned us.
A man my mother told me had disappeared before I was old enough to remember.
A man whose name was never mentioned in our house.
I looked at my mother.
"You said he left."
She looked down.
"I thought it was better if you believed that."
My heart sank.
"Better?"
I couldn't stop the anger anymore.
"You erased my father."
She started crying.
"I was trying to protect you."
I laughed.
A painful, empty laugh.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
I looked around the room.
"Everyone has the same excuse."
I held up the document.
"But somehow, protecting me always meant lying to me."
Nobody answered.
Sarah reached for the document.
"This is a trust agreement."
I looked at her.
"What kind of trust agreement?"
She pointed at the first page.
"When Rebecca had the twins, your father created a private inheritance fund."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because he knew there would be people who would try to take advantage of the situation."
I looked at my mother.
Her expression changed.
Sarah continued.
"The agreement stated that the inheritance would belong equally to both daughters."
I looked at Lily.
"Both of us?"
Sarah nodded.
"Yes."
I felt confused.
"Then why was I separated from her?"
Nobody answered.
Until my mother finally spoke.
"Because of the money."
The words were quiet.
But they destroyed everything.
I looked at her.
"What?"
She closed her eyes.
"I didn't want the money."
Nobody believed her.
Not even herself.
Sarah looked at her.
"Then why did you hide the agreement?"
My mother's hands started shaking.
"Because I was afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
She looked at me.
"That you would leave me."
I stared.
That answer hurt more than anger.
Because somewhere deep inside, I understood.
My mother was not a stranger.
She was someone who had made terrible choices because of fear.
But fear did not erase what she did.
"You stole my life because you were afraid I wouldn't love you?"
She cried.
"I loved you."
I looked away.
"I know."
The words surprised everyone.
Because I did know.
She loved me.
But love without honesty could still destroy someone.
Dr. Morgan carefully looked through the documents.
"There's something else."
Everyone turned.
I almost laughed.
Of course there was.
There was always something else.
"What now?"
She pointed to a section near the bottom.
"This agreement was updated three years ago."
My eyes narrowed.
"Three years ago?"
Sarah nodded.
"Yes."
I looked at Daniel.
He suddenly looked uncomfortable.
"Why?"
Nobody answered.
I turned toward him.
"Daniel."
He stayed silent.
"Why was my inheritance agreement updated three years ago?"
His face changed.
And I knew.
He knew this too.
I felt my stomach twist.
"How much did you know?"
Daniel looked at me.
"Emma..."
"Answer me."
He took a deep breath.
"I knew there was an inheritance."
The room became silent.
I felt something inside me break again.
"You knew."
He nodded slowly.
"But I didn't know everything."
I stared at him.
"You knew enough to marry me."
He looked hurt.
"That's not fair."
I almost couldn't believe it.
"Fair?"
My voice rose.
"Do you know what fair would have been?"
I pointed at myself.
"Fair would have been telling me my husband knew more about my family than I did."
Daniel looked down.
"I was trying to protect you."
I closed my eyes.
There it was again.
That sentence.
The sentence everyone used to excuse everything.
"Who told you about the inheritance?"
Daniel hesitated.
That hesitation answered before he did.
"My father."
I frowned.
"Your father?"
Daniel nodded.
"He knew your family."
I looked at him.
"How?"
Nobody spoke.
Then Rebecca slowly stood.
Her face had changed.
She looked terrified.
"No."
Everyone turned.
"What?"
She looked at Daniel.
"Your father was involved?"
Daniel looked confused.
"My father died years ago."
Rebecca shook her head.
"No."
Her voice became quiet.
"Your father wasn't supposed to be involved."
The room went still.
I looked between them.
"Why?"
Rebecca looked at me.
"Because your father was the person who helped me create the inheritance."
I swallowed.
"Then why are you afraid?"
Rebecca looked at Daniel.
"Because his father was the person who tried to destroy it."
Daniel stepped backward.
"What are you talking about?"
Sarah opened another folder.
"I found this years ago."
She removed an old letter.
"The reason Lily and Emma were separated wasn't only because of your mother."
My heartbeat increased.
"Then who?"
Sarah looked at Daniel.
"His family."
The room became silent.
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
Sarah handed him the letter.
He read it.
His face slowly changed.
"What is this?"
Rebecca looked at him.
"A warning."
I looked at Daniel.
"What warning?"
He didn't answer.
I took the letter from his hand.
The handwriting was old.
But the words were clear.
"Keep the girls apart. If they discover the inheritance, everything will be exposed."
My hands trembled.
"Who wrote this?"
Nobody spoke.
I looked at the bottom.
There was no signature.
Only one word.
A family name.
Carter.
I looked at Daniel.
His face was pale.
"My father..."
He whispered.
Then suddenly Lily stood up.
Everyone turned.
She was holding something.
A small necklace.
"I found this in my old things."
She walked toward me.
"I don't know why I had it."
I took it.
The necklace was old.
Attached to it was a tiny metal plate.
Two names were engraved.
Emma.
Lily.
My breathing stopped.
Because beneath the names was another sentence.
A sentence that changed everything.
"Together, they inherit the truth."
The hospital door suddenly opened.
A man in a dark coat stood outside.
Everyone froze.
Daniel stepped back.
Because he recognized him.
"How are you here?"
The man looked at Daniel.
Then at me.
And smiled.
"I came to finish what your father started."
Rebecca's face turned completely pale.
Because she knew exactly who he was.
The man slowly lifted an old photograph.
May you like
And whispered:
"Emma... your father never died."
