Chapter 5: My Stepsister's Secret
I closed the door behind Madison.
For the first time since she'd entered my life, she looked smaller than me.
Not physically. Madison was almost as tall as I was, with the same polished hair and expensive clothes Vanessa insisted made her look sophisticated.
But without her mother's approval to hide behind, she looked like a frightened fifteen-year-old girl.
I held up the memory card.
“What is this?””
“Evidence.””
“Evidence of what?””
“Something Mom doesn't want you to see.””
I studied her face.
“Why are you helping me?””
She swallowed.
“Because I heard what she said about your brother.””
“That isn't enough.””
Madison flinched.
“I know.””
“Then tell me the truth.””
She sat on the edge of my bed, careful to avoid the scattered papers.
“Three months ago, Mom started receiving phone calls late at night. She'd go into the study, lock the door, and talk for hours. Sometimes she'd yell. Sometimes she'd cry.””
“Vanessa cries?””
Madison gave a bitter laugh.
“Apparently, even she gets scared.””
She rubbed her hands together.
“One night, I heard her mention a man named Richard. She said the money had to be transferred before the review began. Then she said something about a boy who should have stayed lost.””
My stomach tightened.
“Ethan.””
Madison nodded.
“I didn't know his name then. But last week, I saw a letter on her desk. It had your mother's name on it, and it mentioned a custody agreement.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I was scared!””
Her voice cracked.
She stood abruptly, pacing beside the bed.
“You don't understand what she's like when she's angry. She doesn't just yell. She takes things away. She makes you feel like you're nothing without her.””
I almost laughed at the irony.
“Welcome to my life.””
Madison's eyes filled with tears.
“I know what I did to you.””
I said nothing.
She looked at the floor.
“The earrings. Your clothes. The photograph. I knew Mom was being cruel, and I helped her because I wanted her to think I was loyal.””
“Those were my mother's earrings.””
“I know.””
“You watched her throw my photograph in the garbage.””
“I know.””
“And you laughed at me.””
Madison covered her mouth.
“I know, Emily.””
For the first time, I saw something that looked like shame in her expression.
It didn't erase anything.
But it was there.
I sat beside the desk.
“What did you record?””
Madison took a breath.
“Mom keeps an old phone in her desk drawer. She uses it for calls she doesn't want anyone to trace. I found it last week while looking for a charger. There were recordings saved on it.””
“You stole them?””
“I copied them.””
“Why?””
“Because I heard her say your name.””
She handed me a small adapter.
“The memory card contains the audio files. I haven't listened to all of them, but I heard enough to know she's planning something.””
I stared at the card.
“Does Dad know?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because Mom says he won't believe anything that makes her look guilty. She says he's too ashamed of what he did to Claire to fight back.””
I looked at her.
“What did he do?””
Madison hesitated.
“Mom said your father signed something that helped keep Ethan away from your mother.””
My chest tightened.
“That's impossible.””
“I don't know if it's true. That's why I copied the recordings.””
I stood.
“We need to show Dad.””
“No!””
Madison grabbed my wrist.
“Please, Emily. You can't tell him yet. Mom has people watching the house. If she thinks we've turned against her, she'll destroy everything.””
“Then what do you expect me to do?””
“Go to Margaret. Find your brother. Get proof before she knows you've found it.””
I pulled my wrist free.
“And leave you here?””
Madison looked startled.
“Why would you care?””
The question hurt more than I expected.
I could have told her I didn't care. I could have reminded her of every cruel thing she'd done.
Instead, I said, “Because you're still fifteen, Madison. And because whatever Vanessa has done, I don't want her doing it to you.””
She began to cry.
I hated that it made me feel sorry for her.
I hated even more that I understood.
My phone vibrated.
A message from Thomas.
Meeting confirmed. Eight a.m. Bring the key and any documents you found. Come alone if possible.
I showed Madison.
She nodded.
“You should leave before sunrise.””
“Where would I go?””
“The bus station. Or a friend's house.””
“I don't have a friend who can take me in at midnight.””
She looked at my backpack.
“Then go to the hotel near the station. Mom keeps cash in the small safe in her closet.””
I stared at her.
“I'm not stealing from her.””
“It's your money, Emily.””
“No, it's hers.””
“Not if she stole it from your mother.””
She turned toward the door.
“Wait,” I said.
Madison stopped.
“Why did you really give me the memory card?””
She looked at me for a long moment.
Then she whispered, “Because I heard Mom say that if you ever discovered what happened to Ethan, she'd make sure you never got the chance to turn eighteen.””
Before I could respond, she slipped out.
I locked the door.
Then I inserted the memory card into my laptop.
Three audio files appeared.
The first was labeled with a date from two months earlier.
I pressed play.
Vanessa's voice filled the room.
“Richard, I told you the girl is still a problem.””
A man's voice answered.
“Then solve it.””
“She's seventeen. If she leaves the house, Daniel may finally wake up and start asking questions.””
“Daniel has been asking questions for years. He just doesn't like the answers.””
Vanessa sighed.
“I need the original documents.””
“You need the girl to sign the agreement.””
“And if she refuses?””
The man laughed.
“Then she learns what happens when people interfere with our business.””
The recording ended.
I sat frozen.
The second file was shorter.
Vanessa was speaking to someone else, a woman whose voice I didn't recognize.
“Ethan is back in the country,” Vanessa said.
“If he reaches Emily, the trust becomes a problem.””
The woman replied, “Can you stop him?””
“I'm working on it.””
“You'd better. Richard won't tolerate another delay.””
Then Vanessa said something that made my stomach turn.
“Claire should have kept her mouth shut.””
The file ended.
I pressed my hands against my ears.
My mother had known something dangerous.
She had tried to protect me.
And now Vanessa was treating me as an obstacle she needed to eliminate.
I played the third file.
At first, there was only static.
Then a door opened.
Footsteps.
Vanessa's voice, muffled but clear enough.
“Daniel will sign the amendment tomorrow. He has no choice.””
A man answered.
“What about Emily?””
“She'll be out of the house by morning.””
“And the trust?””
“Once she signs the declaration, we can challenge her claim. If she refuses, we'll use the custody records to make her father believe she's the product of a fraud.””
I stopped breathing.
The man asked, “What custody records?””
Vanessa replied, “The ones Claire falsified.””
I leaned toward the laptop.
“Those records are real,” she continued.
“But the signatures aren't. Richard arranged that years ago. Claire discovered the truth, and she tried to expose him.””
The man lowered his voice.
“And Daniel?””
“He signed the transfer papers without understanding what they meant. If Emily finds out, he'll lose his company, his reputation, and his daughter.””
A pause.
Then Vanessa laughed softly.
“Which is why he'll do exactly what I tell him.””
The recording ended.
I stared at the screen.
My father had signed something that helped separate my mother from her son.
He might have done it without knowing.
But he had done it.
A sound came from the hallway.
I closed the laptop.
The doorknob turned.
“Emily?”” my father called.
I opened the door.
He stood there holding two mugs of hot chocolate.
For a moment, the sight made me feel six years old again.
He used to bring me hot chocolate whenever I had nightmares.
“I thought you might be awake,” he said.
“I am.””
He handed me a mug.
“May I come in?””
I stepped aside.
He sat in the chair beside my desk and looked around at the room Vanessa had started dismantling.
“I should have stopped this earlier,” he said.
“Yes.””
He nodded.
“I deserve that.””
I sat on the bed.
“Dad, did you ever sign documents related to Mom's custody case?””
He went still.
“Why are you asking?””
“Because I need to know.””
He set his mug down.
“After Claire died, I discovered that she'd been trying to locate Ethan. I wanted to help her, but she had already passed away.””
“That doesn't answer my question.””
He looked at his hands.
“Vanessa brought me papers six years ago. She said they were related to a legal dispute over the company. She told me signing them would protect Claire's trust from creditors.””
“Did you sign them?””
“Yes.””
The word was barely audible.
I felt the room tilt.
“Did you know they were connected to Ethan?””
“No.””
“Did you check?””
He closed his eyes.
“No.””
I stood and walked to the window.
For a long time, I watched the rain slide down the glass.
Then I asked, “If Mom had been alive, would you have believed her?””
My father didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
I turned back.
“I found something in Mom's box.””
I showed him the letter, but not the memory card.
He read it carefully.
When he reached the sentence about not hating him before understanding what happened, his face crumpled.
“She knew,” he whispered.
“She knew you might fail me.””
He nodded.
I expected him to defend himself.
Instead, he said, “I did.””
The honesty silenced me.
He stood and placed his mug on the desk.
“Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to Margaret Bell myself.””
“Vanessa won't let you.””
“She doesn't control me.””
“Then why does she have you signing documents?””
His expression tightened.
“Because I allowed her to control too much.””
He reached for the door.
“Get some sleep, Emily. We leave at seven.””
I watched him go.
For the first time that night, I thought we might have a chance.
Then my phone buzzed.
A text from Madison.
Mom knows about the recording.
Another message arrived.
She's coming upstairs.
I rushed to the door.
A third message appeared.
Emily, hide the key. She has a gun.
I froze.
Footsteps thundered down the hallway.
May you like
Someone screamed.
Then the lights went out.
