Chapter 3: The Name on the Screen
The name on the screen belonged to someone none of us expected.
Rebecca’s ex-husband.
Marcus’s biological father.
The man she always said she hated.
My father read the message again.
“I thought you said you never spoke to him.””
Rebecca immediately reached for the phone.
“Daniel, give that back.””
He moved away.
“No.””
Her face changed.
“You’re invading my privacy.””
My father laughed bitterly.
“Privacy? You used my daughter’s money to pay someone you lied about?””
Marcus looked confused.
“Mom?””
Rebecca looked at him.
“Go inside.””
“No.””
His voice was quiet.
“No more secrets.””
I had never seen Marcus stand up to her before.
Not once.
Rebecca always controlled everything around him.
She picked his clothes.
She planned his schedule.
She decided what he needed.
And now, for the first time, Marcus was seeing the truth.
Daniel scrolled through the messages.
I watched his hands tighten.
“What did you send him money for?””
Rebecca stayed silent.
“Answer me.””
Finally, she whispered:
“He had problems.””
“What problems?””
“He owed people money.””
My stomach dropped.
“You paid his debts?””
Rebecca looked at me.
“Sophie, don’t make it sound worse than it was.””
I stared at her.
“Worse?””
My voice cracked.
“You stole my college money.””
The words hung in the air.
Rebecca looked away.
Daniel sat down on a patio chair.
He looked exhausted.
“How long?””
Rebecca didn’t answer.
“How long have you been taking money?””
She started crying again.
“I didn’t take it.””
Daniel looked up.
“You transferred it without permission.””
“I was going to put it back.””
“When?””
Silence.
That was the answer.
I walked inside because I couldn’t breathe.
The house felt different.
Every room held memories that suddenly felt fake.
The kitchen where Rebecca used to bake cookies.
The living room where she told me we were family.
The hallway where she hugged me after my first breakup.
Had any of it been real?
I went upstairs and sat on my bed.
A few minutes later, my father knocked.
“Sophie?””
I didn’t answer.
He opened the door slowly.
“I’m sorry.””
I stared at the wall.
“Did you know?””
“No.””
“But you gave her access.””
He looked down.
“Yes.””
“That money was for me.””
“I know.””
“No, Dad. You don’t know.””
My voice broke.
“You don’t know what it feels like to work every day knowing that money is your way forward, and then find out someone just decided they wanted it more.””
My father sat quietly.
Then he said something I never expected.
“I should have protected you.””
I looked at him.
“I trusted her.””
“I know.””
“I thought she loved you.””
“I thought she loved all of us.””
That hurt.
Because he sounded like someone who had just lost his entire understanding of his own life.
That night, my father called a lawyer.
I heard him downstairs.
“I need to know what my options are.””
The next morning, I woke up to shouting.
I ran downstairs.
Rebecca was standing near the front door.
“You’re throwing me out?””
Daniel stood across from her.
“You stole from my daughter.””
“I’m your wife!””
“You broke my trust.””
Marcus stood behind her.
He looked like a completely different person.
“Mom, is there more?””
Rebecca looked at him.
“What?””
“Is there more money?””
She didn’t answer.
Marcus stepped forward.
“You told me the car was everything.””
Rebecca’s face became angry.
“You should be grateful.””
He stared at her.
“For what?””
“For everything I’ve done for you.””
Marcus shook his head.
“No. I mean… for what? Because you spent Sophie’s money on me.””
Nobody spoke.
Then he looked at me.
“Sophie…”
I didn’t know what to say.
Because for years, I had blamed Marcus.
But now I realized something.
He wasn’t the person who took my money.
He was just another person Rebecca controlled.
Then Daniel’s lawyer called.
My father answered.
His face changed after only a few seconds.
“What?””
He looked at me.
Then at Rebecca.
“There’s another transfer?””
Rebecca froze.
The lawyer continued speaking.
My father’s hand tightened around the phone.
“How much?””
A pause.
Then:
“Twenty thousand dollars.””
My blood ran cold.
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
“Rebecca…”
She looked terrified.
“Where did that money go?””
She opened her mouth.
But before she answered, Marcus’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
May you like
And his face went pale.
Because the caller was the one person who could explain everything.
