Chapter 5: The Safe-Deposit Box
Margaret's office was on the seventh floor of an old brick building downtown.
I arrived ten minutes early.
Daniel stayed across the street, exactly as he'd promised.
I had barely sat down when Margaret opened the door.
She was in her sixties, silver-haired, wearing a charcoal suit and carrying a thick file against her chest.
“Emma?””
“Yes.””
She studied my face.
“You look like your mother.””
I swallowed.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
Margaret smiled sadly.
“Your mother used to hate hearing it.””
“Why?””
“Because she said you deserved to become your own person.””
She motioned me inside.
The office smelled faintly of coffee and old paper.
Margaret closed the door.
“Did Richard follow you?””
“I don't think so.””
“Good.””
She placed the file on her desk.
“I need you to understand something before I show you these documents.””
“What?””
“Your mother didn't disappear from Richard's life because she wanted to punish him.””
I sat down.
“She left because she believed he was dangerous.””
I stared at her.
“Dangerous how?””
“Financially. Emotionally. And, eventually, physically.””
My hands went cold.
“Did he hurt her?””
“Not in the way you're thinking.””
“That doesn't make me feel better.””
Margaret opened the file.
“Richard had accumulated gambling debts. Creditors were contacting your mother. He forged her signature on two loan documents.””
“Did she report him?””
“No.””
“Why?””
“She was afraid he'd lose his job, his house, and eventually custody of you.””
“He wasn't my legal father.””
“Biologically, no. But at the time, everyone believed he was your father.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
Margaret slid a document toward me.
It was a paternity test.
My mother's name appeared at the top.
Richard's name appeared beside mine.
*Probability of paternity: 0.00%.*
I couldn't breathe.
“My mother knew?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Shortly before she died.””
I looked at the date.
Six months before the accident.
“That's when she found out?””
Margaret nodded.
“She contacted me because she wanted to change your guardianship arrangements.””
I looked up.
“And Daniel?””
“Daniel was the person she trusted.””
A tear slipped down my cheek.
“So Richard knew he wasn't my father?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did he come back?””
Margaret's expression became serious.
“Because he discovered the trust.””
My heart stopped.
“How?””
“Your mother created it after learning about his debts. She funded it with money from her inheritance.””
Margaret opened another folder.
“She wanted you to have enough money to attend college without depending on anyone.””
I stared at the documents.
“So Richard came back because of the money.””
“Yes.””
“And Daniel knew.””
“He knew about the trust. He did not know Richard had gained access to your account.””
I thought about the past six months.
Richard calling every morning.
Taking me shopping for graduation clothes.
Convincing me to move my savings into a new account.
Telling me I needed him listed as a joint owner because “families protect each other.””
My stomach twisted.
Margaret reached into the file and removed a sealed envelope.
“This is the last thing your mother left.””
My name was handwritten across the front.
*For Emma, when she is old enough to know the truth.*
I stared at it.
“Did you read it?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because your mother told me never to.””
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a single letter.
My mother's handwriting.
My hands shook as I unfolded it.
Emma,
If you're reading this, then either I failed to protect you or Richard has found his way back into your life.
I stopped.
The room blurred.
Margaret quietly pushed a box of tissues toward me.
I kept reading.
There is something I need you to understand. Daniel is not your biological father.
My throat tightened.
But he is the man I chose to be your father.
I pressed the letter against my chest.
Then I read the next line.
If Richard ever tells you Daniel kept us apart, do not believe him.
I looked at Margaret.
“There's more.””
She nodded.
I continued.
Richard didn't leave because Daniel pushed him away.
Richard left because I gave him one choice: get help and stay away from our daughter until he did.
Then came the sentence that made my hands stop moving.
He chose the money instead.
A knock sounded against Margaret's office door.
Margaret frowned.
“We weren't expecting anyone.””
Another knock.
Harder.
Then a man's voice came from the hallway.
“Emma? It's me.””
Richard.
Margaret immediately locked the door.
My phone buzzed.
A text appeared from an unknown number.
*You need to leave through the back door. Now.*
I looked at Margaret.
“Who sent this?””
She shook her head.
May you like
“I don't know.””
The doorknob began to turn.
