Chapter 3: The Name in the Folder
The name on the document was not Sarah’s.
It was mine.
I stared at the paper.
For a moment, I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.
“Why is my name on this?””
Sarah moved quickly.
Too quickly.
She reached for the folder.
I stepped back.
“No.””
“Give that to me.””
“No.””
Her eyes narrowed.
“You’re making a mistake.””
I opened the document.
It was a legal form.
A property agreement.
My father’s signature was at the bottom.
But something was wrong.
The date.
It was signed after his diagnosis.
After he had started struggling with memory problems.
My heart started racing.
“What did you do?””
Sarah crossed her arms.
“Be careful.””
“Careful?””
“Yes. You don’t want to accuse me of something you can’t prove.””
That sentence told me she had done this before.
She knew exactly how to walk around the truth.
I took pictures of every page.
Then I sent them to my lawyer.
Sarah watched me.
“You think a few pictures scare me?””
“No.””
I looked at Lily.
“I think protecting my daughter matters more.””
That night, Lily slept in my room.
Not because she was scared of the dark.
Because she was scared of being alone.
I sat beside her bed until midnight.
“Daddy?””
I looked over.
“Yeah?””
“Did Grandma hate me?””
My heart broke.
“No, sweetheart.””
“But she said…”
I swallowed.
“Some people say cruel things because something is wrong inside them.””
Lily was quiet.
Then she asked:
“Will she come back?””
I didn’t know how to answer.
Because deep down, I knew Sarah wouldn’t leave peacefully.
The next morning, my lawyer called.
“Ethan, I reviewed the documents.””
“And?””
“There’s a serious problem.””
“What kind?””
A pause.
Then he said:
“The property agreement your father signed appears to have been altered.””
I sat down.
“Altered?””
“Yes. But there’s more.””
I waited.
“Your father’s signature was copied from another document.””
My blood ran cold.
Someone had forged my father’s name.
And Sarah had been living in my house because of it.
But before I could respond, I heard my front door open.
I stood.
“Someone’s here.””
My lawyer lowered his voice.
“Ethan, don’t confront anyone until you know who it is.””
Too late.
Footsteps moved through the hallway.
Then a familiar voice called out.
“Ethan?””
My heart stopped.
Because the person standing in my living room was the last person I expected to see.
May you like
My father’s old business partner.
And he was holding a box of documents.
