Chapter 10: My Mother’s Final Warning
The woman standing at our door looked like a ghost from my mother’s past.
She had the same gentle eyes.
The same small smile.
Even the same way of holding her hands together when she was nervous.
But I had never seen her before.
My father stepped aside slowly.
“Come inside.””
The woman nodded.
“Thank you.””
Rebecca was still staring at her.
“I thought you were gone.””
The woman looked at her sadly.
“I was.””
“Why?””
She looked toward me.
“Because I promised your sister I would protect her daughter.””
My father immediately became tense.
“My daughter?””
The woman nodded.
“Yes.””
I looked at my father.
“What is she talking about?””
Nobody answered.
The woman sat down at the kitchen table.
“My name is Claire.””
She looked at me.
“I’m your mother’s sister.””
I whispered:
“My aunt?””
She smiled sadly.
“Yes.””
I didn’t know how to feel.
For years, I thought my mother’s family was just gone.
Now suddenly, people from her past kept appearing.
My father sat across from Claire.
“What did my wife tell you?””
Claire looked down.
“Not everything.””
“Then tell me what you know.””
She took a deep breath.
“Your wife knew Vanessa was dangerous.””
My father’s expression hardened.
“I need more than that.””
“I know.””
Claire looked at the necklace.
“She found out Vanessa wasn’t interested in you because she loved you.””
The words hurt.
Even though Vanessa wasn’t my real mother, she had been part of our home.
My father looked away.
“What was she interested in?””
Claire answered quietly.
“Your family’s inheritance.””
I frowned.
“But Mom didn’t have a lot of money.””
Claire looked at me.
“Your mother’s grandfather created a trust.””
My father froze.
“What trust?””
Claire opened her bag.
She removed an old folder.
“Your mother never cared about the money.””
She placed it on the table.
“She cared about making sure it went to the right person.””
My father looked at the papers.
“Who?””
Claire looked at me.
“You.””
I didn’t understand.
“Me?””
She nodded.
“When you turn eighteen, everything your mother inherited from her family is legally yours.””
My father stared.
“Vanessa knew?””
“Yes.””
Rebecca added:
“That’s why she wanted access to the memory box.””
My father looked angry.
“But how?””
Claire sighed.
“Because she was looking for proof.””
“Proof of what?””
“That she could control the trust.””
The room became silent.
I looked at the necklace.
“So Mom hid the proof?””
Claire nodded.
“Your mother knew Vanessa would search for documents.””
She touched the pendant.
“But she knew Vanessa would never understand the necklace itself.””
My father picked up the second necklace.
“Because she didn’t know there were two.””
“Exactly.””
I looked at Claire.
“Why didn’t Mom tell me?””
Her face softened.
“Because you were nine.””
Tears filled her eyes.
“She wanted you to grow up feeling loved, not hunted.””
That sentence stayed with me.
My mom wasn’t hiding things because she didn’t trust me.
She was protecting my childhood.
My father opened the legal document again.
Then he noticed something.
“There’s a signature missing.””
Claire looked closer.
“What?””
“The final page.””
My father turned it over.
“The original document is incomplete.””
Rebecca stood.
“That means Vanessa still has the missing piece.””
My heart dropped.
“What happens if she gets it?””
Nobody answered.
Then Claire looked at my father.
“She can challenge everything.””
My father stood immediately.
“We need to find her.””
But before anyone moved, my father’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Hello?””
A voice came through.
Vanessa.
But she sounded different.
Calm.
Confident.
“Daniel.””
My father tightened his grip.
“Where are you?””
“I have something that belongs to Sophie.””
Everyone looked at me.
My father’s voice became cold.
“You stole enough.””
Vanessa laughed quietly.
“You still don’t understand.””
“What do you want?””
A pause.
Then:
“I want to finish what her mother started.””
My father looked at the phone.
“What does that mean?””
Vanessa whispered:
“It means I finally found the last page.””
The call ended.
And my father immediately grabbed his keys.
May you like
Because the one thing we needed most…
was now in Vanessa’s hands.
