Chapter 8: The Betrayal I Never Saw Coming
I read my mother's name again.
Margaret Wilson.
The woman who had held my hand when I gave birth.
The woman who had promised to help me raise Piper and Poppy.
The woman who had spent every Sunday afternoon bringing groceries and telling me how proud she was of me.
Her statement claimed I had become increasingly erratic after childbirth.
It described incidents that had never happened.
One paragraph even alleged that I'd left the twins unattended overnight.
I pushed the paper away.
"That's a lie.""
Sarah nodded.
"Then we need to establish that.""
I picked up my phone and called my mother.
She answered immediately.
"Emily, honey. I've been meaning to call.""
"Did you sign a statement saying I'm an unfit mother?""
Silence.
Then a sigh.
"Oh, Emily.""
I closed my eyes.
"Why?""
"Your brother told me Tyler was worried about you.""
"My brother?""
"Daniel said you've been acting strangely. He said you're refusing to let Tyler see the babies and that you might be having trouble adjusting.""
I stared at the wall.
Daniel was my older brother.
He'd visited twice since the twins were born.
He had never once offered to help with a night feeding.
"Mom, have you actually seen me behaving dangerously?""
"No, but Tyler said—"
"Did you see me leave the babies alone?""
"No.""
"Did you see me hurt them?""
"Of course not!""
"Then why did you sign that statement?""
Her voice broke.
"Because Daniel said it was just paperwork to make sure Tyler could visit the girls.""
I gripped the phone.
"Did you read it?""
She didn't answer.
"Mom?""
"I trusted your brother.""
I felt tears burn behind my eyes.
"So did I.""
My mother began crying.
"Emily, please don't shut me out. I was only trying to help.""
"Then tell me the truth. Did anyone pay you?""
She went silent.
I heard a faint movement on the other end.
Then she whispered, "Daniel said Tyler would give him twenty thousand dollars if everything went smoothly.""
My entire body went cold.
"Twenty thousand dollars?""
"He said it was for helping Tyler get back on his feet.""
"Mom, did you receive any money?""
"No. He said he'd share it with me later.""
I couldn't speak.
Sarah gently took the phone from my hand and placed it on speaker.
"Mrs. Wilson, this is Sarah Mitchell, Emily's attorney. I need you to understand that knowingly providing false information in a custody proceeding can have serious consequences. Did you personally witness the incidents described in your statement?""
"No," my mother whispered.
"Did you write the statement yourself?""
"No. Daniel sent it to me. He said I only needed to sign.""
Sarah looked at me.
"Thank you. We'll need a written clarification.""
My mother began sobbing.
"Emily, I am so sorry.""
I wanted to forgive her.
But I couldn't.
Not yet.
After the call, Sarah explained that we would challenge the false declaration and gather medical records, pediatric appointment histories, and evidence of my daily care.
Then Rebecca made another discovery.
She had been examining the bank statements from Vanessa's company.
"Emily, look at this.""
A payment of $20,000 had been made to a business account belonging to Daniel Wilson.
My brother.
The payment description read:
Consulting services—Carter family matter.
I stared at the screen.
"Daniel doesn't own a consulting business.""
Rebecca checked the registration.
"Apparently, he established one six months ago.""
Sarah leaned closer.
"Does your brother have experience in real estate?""
I shook my head.
"He works in sales.""
"Then we need to find out what he was consulting on.""
My phone rang.
Daniel.
I answered.
"What did you do?""
He laughed nervously.
"Whoa. Hello to you too.""
"Did Tyler pay you twenty thousand dollars?""
There was a pause.
Then he said, "It's not what you think.""
"Did you help him take my house?""
"Emily, listen. Tyler was going through a difficult time. He needed someone to help organize his finances.""
"With my money?""
"He said you were going to leave him anyway.""
I felt my throat tighten.
"So you decided to help him steal from me?""
"Don't use that word.""
"What word should I use, Daniel?""
He lowered his voice.
"Tyler promised me a share of the property sale. I was supposed to get enough to pay off my debts.""
I stared at Sarah.
"Did you know about Vanessa?""
"Yes.""
"Did you know about the baby?""
He hesitated.
"Yes.""
I felt sick.
"Did you know Tyler had another child while I was raising his daughters alone?""
"Emily, don't make this personal.""
I nearly dropped the phone.
"You're my brother!""
"And you're acting like I'm the enemy!""
"You took money to lie about me.""
He snapped.
"Because somebody had to tell the truth! Tyler said you were impossible to live with. He said he wanted out.""
I swallowed.
"Then why didn't he just leave?""
Daniel went quiet.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
"Because the house wasn't the only thing he wanted.""
"What else?""
He sighed.
"The inheritance.""
My hands went numb.
"What inheritance?""
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"Don't tell me you forgot about Dad's trust.""
My father had died two years earlier.
He had left me a small investment portfolio and a trust fund that would become accessible when I turned thirty-five.
I was thirty-three.
Tyler knew about it.
But I'd never told him the exact amount.
"How much did you tell him?"" I asked.
Daniel hesitated.
"Enough.""
"How much?""
"Emily, it was supposed to be a family arrangement.""
I stood up.
"How much?""
He finally answered.
"One point eight million dollars.""
I felt the room spin.
My father had left that money for me and my future children.
And my brother had apparently handed Tyler the information.
Sarah reached for my arm.
"Emily, end the call.""
But before I could, Daniel spoke again.
"There's something else you need to know.""
I froze.
"What?""
"Tyler already submitted a request to access the trust.""
I looked at Sarah.
"That's impossible. He's not a beneficiary.""
Daniel's voice dropped.
"Not directly. But he used a document saying you authorized him to manage it.""
Then he hung up.
Sarah immediately began making calls.
Rebecca sat beside me.
I couldn't stop staring at the custody petition.
My mother had signed it.
My brother had been paid to help.
My husband had tried to take my house and my inheritance.
And somehow, all three of them had convinced themselves they were entitled to my daughters, my money, and my future.
Then Sarah received an email.
She opened it.
Her face changed.
"Emily, your father's trust administrator has responded.""
I leaned forward.
"What did they say?""
Sarah turned the laptop toward me.
There was a scanned document attached.
At the top was my father's trust account number.
At the bottom was a signature authorizing Tyler to act on my behalf.
It looked exactly like mine.
But the date was from a day I remembered clearly.
The day my father died.
And beside the signature was the name of a witness.
May you like
*Margaret Wilson.*
My mother.
