Chapter 5: The Favor She Never Deserved
The room felt smaller.
I stared at the documents in front of me.
At first, I didn’t understand what I was seeing.
Numbers.
Dates.
Receipts.
Emails.
Nothing that looked important.
Then my eyes landed on one line.
A payment.
From my father’s account.
To Mia.
I looked at him.
“What is this?””
Dad rubbed his forehead.
“I don’t know.””
But I could tell he did.
Or at least, he was starting to understand.
He picked up another page.
It was a message printed from an email.
The sender was Mia.
The recipient was someone I didn’t recognize.
I read the first sentence.
*“My dad believes everything I tell him.””*
My stomach dropped.
Dad took the paper from my hands.
“No.””
His voice was quiet.
I had never heard disappointment sound like that.
Not anger.
Not rage.
Just pain.
“What did she say?”” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
He kept reading.
Then he handed it back.
The email was about money.
Mia had been telling my father she needed extra help because she was struggling with school expenses.
She said she needed money for books.
Transportation.
Important fees.
But the receipts showed something else.
Designer clothes.
Luxury restaurants.
Weekend trips.
Things she never mentioned.
“She lied about all of this?”” I whispered.
Dad sat down.
“I gave her that money because I trusted her.””
I looked at the papers.
“And Vanessa knew?””
That question changed his expression.
Because suddenly, everything connected.
Vanessa defending Mia.
Vanessa dismissing everything.
Vanessa acting like Mia could do no wrong.
Dad grabbed his phone.
“I’m calling her.””
I stopped him.
“Dad.””
He looked at me.
“What?””
I hesitated.
“I don’t want her to know we found this yet.””
“Why?””
“Because if Mia knows, she’ll only tell us another story.””
Dad stared at me.
And then he nodded.
“You’re right.””
I was surprised.
He smiled slightly.
“Apparently, my daughter has better instincts than I do.””
I laughed softly.
For the first time that day, I laughed.
But it didn’t last.
Because another thought entered my mind.
The text.
Someone had wanted me to find this.
Someone had known.
“Dad?””
“Yes?””
“Who sent the message?””
He looked at my phone.
“I don’t know.””
I opened the conversation again.
The number was still unknown.
I typed:
*How did you get this information?*
A response came.
*Because I saw what Mia did when nobody else was watching.*
My fingers tightened around the phone.
Another message followed.
*And I know she didn’t destroy your dress because she hated the design.*
Dad leaned closer.
“What does that mean?””
I stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
*Ask her why she really wanted you to fail today.*
The next morning, Dad asked Mia to meet us at a coffee shop.
She arrived wearing sunglasses and carrying another expensive handbag.
Not the damaged one.
A new one.
I noticed Dad noticed.
“Mia,” he said.
She sat down.
“So this is about the bag?””
“No.””
She looked confused.
“Then what?””
Dad placed the documents on the table.
Her expression changed instantly.
Just for a second.
But enough.
“You know what these are?””
She looked away.
“No.””
Dad opened the folder.
“You lied to me.””
Mia crossed her arms.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.””
“You told me you needed money for school.””
“I did.””
“These receipts say otherwise.””
She glanced at the papers.
Then she looked at me.
And suddenly, her face changed.
“You.””
I blinked.
“What?””
“You found these.””
“I didn’t.””
She laughed.
“Of course you did.””
Dad leaned forward.
“Don’t change the subject.””
Mia ignored him.
She stared at me.
“You always do this.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“Do what?””
“Make everyone think I’m the problem.””
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“You cut my dress.””
“Because you always get everything!””
The words came out so fast that even she looked surprised.
Silence followed.
Dad stared at her.
“What did you just say?””
Mia’s breathing changed.
But she didn’t stop.
“You’re always proud of her.””
She pointed at me.
“Her grades. Her achievements. Her plans.””
“Mia—”
“No.””
Her voice cracked.
“She gets to be the perfect daughter.””
I looked at her.
And for a moment, I almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
Then Dad asked the question that changed everything.
“If you felt that way, why didn’t you talk to us?””
Mia looked down.
And whispered:
“Because I knew nobody would choose me.””
The coffee shop went silent.
Then her phone buzzed.
She looked at it.
Her face immediately lost all color.
I noticed.
Dad noticed.
“What is it?””
Mia quickly locked the screen.
“Nothing.””
But I knew that look.
It was the same look I had when the unknown number first appeared.
May you like
Fear.
And whatever was on that phone was something Mia didn’t want us to see.
