Chapter 2: The Message on Her Phone
“Give me the Mercedes keys,” Madison demanded.
Olivia instinctively closed her fingers around them.
“No.””
It was the first time she'd spoken firmly since the argument began.
Madison stepped toward her.
“Excuse me?””
“You heard me,” Olivia replied.
“Dad bought this car for my graduation. It's mine.””
“You don't need it as much as I do.””
“That's not your decision.””
Madison reached for Olivia's hand.
Before she could grab the keys, I stepped between them.
“Enough. Nobody is taking anything from anyone.””
Madison's face twisted.
“You always take her side!””
“I'm taking the side of the person who isn't trying to steal somebody else's property.””
Vanessa gasped as if I'd slapped her.
“Michael!””
“What? Would you prefer I call it borrowing?””
Madison folded her arms.
“I hate this family.””
She turned and stormed toward the house, deliberately kicking the Toyota keys as she passed them. They skidded beneath the front bumper.
Vanessa followed her, but not before giving me a look that promised the argument wasn't over.
The relatives who'd gathered for the birthday celebration suddenly found reasons to inspect their phones. Madison's grandmother busied herself with the cake. An uncle who'd been laughing over the barbecue ten minutes earlier wandered toward the backyard.
I bent down and retrieved the keys.
Olivia stood beside me, blinking rapidly.
“Dad, I'm sorry.””
I looked at her.
“For what?””
“For having the nicer car.””
Those words hurt more than Madison's shouting.
I put a hand on Olivia's shoulder.
“Never apologize for something you worked hard to earn.””
“But I didn't pay for the whole thing.””
“You earned your degree. I promised you a graduation gift. That's the agreement we made.””
She swallowed.
“Maybe I should give it back.””
“No.””
“Dad, I don't want you and Vanessa fighting because of me.””
“Listen to me, Liv.”” I waited until she met my eyes.
“You are not responsible for another person's jealousy. Do you understand?””
She nodded, although she didn't look convinced.
Inside the house, Vanessa's voice carried through the open kitchen window.
“He made you look ridiculous, Madison! In front of everybody!””
I froze.
Not because she was comforting her daughter.
Because she was blaming me for refusing to reward her behavior.
A moment later, Vanessa appeared at the door.
“Michael, come inside. We need to talk privately.””
I handed Olivia the Mercedes keys.
“Stay here for a minute, sweetheart.””
She squeezed my hand.
“Please don't let this get worse.””
“I'll try.””
I followed Vanessa into the kitchen.
The birthday cake sat on the counter, its pink frosting decorated with Madison's name. Someone had arranged eighteen candles in a perfect circle. The sweet smell of vanilla seemed strangely out of place.
Vanessa shut the door behind us.
“You humiliated my daughter.””
“She threw a tantrum over a fifty-thousand-dollar car.””
“You made it obvious that Olivia matters more.””
“Olivia graduated from college. Madison just turned eighteen. Those are different occasions.””
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“Then why didn't you buy Madison something equally impressive?””
“I did buy her something impressive.””
“A Toyota isn't a Mercedes.””
“It's a brand-new SUV with every feature she needs.””
Vanessa tapped her fingernails against the counter.
“People notice these things, Michael. Madison's friends will see Olivia driving around in a Mercedes while she has a Toyota. What do you think that says about her?””
“It says she has a car that costs nearly fifty thousand dollars.””
“It says her stepfather doesn't consider her equal.””
I stared at her.
“Is that really what you believe?””
Vanessa didn't hesitate.
“I believe you should have thought about the consequences before buying Olivia something so much better.””
“So much better?”” I repeated.
“You mean the car she received after four years of college?””
“Don't twist my words.””
“I'm not twisting anything. I'm trying to understand when you decided I was required to buy your daughter whatever I bought mine.””
Her expression changed.
For a second, the warm, patient woman I'd married disappeared completely.
“She's your daughter too,” Vanessa snapped.
“You've been saying that for six years. Or was it just something you said to impress me?””
The accusation landed precisely where she intended.
I remembered Madison at thirteen, standing in the doorway of my home office with a school project in her hands. She'd asked if I could help her build a model bridge. I'd canceled a business dinner and spent three hours cutting cardboard while she painted tiny blue supports.
I remembered her first dance recital, when she'd searched the audience until she found me.
I remembered the night she'd called me Dad for the first time.
I'd believed those moments meant something.
“They mattered to me,” I said quietly.
“Then prove it.””
“How?””
“Buy her a Mercedes.””
I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“You cannot be serious.””
Vanessa picked up her phone.
“I'm not asking for something unreasonable.””
Before I could respond, the screen lit up with an incoming message.
She glanced at it.
Her face went pale.
It was only for a second, but I noticed.
Then she turned the phone facedown on the counter.
“Who was that?”” I asked.
“Nobody.””
“Your face says otherwise.””
“It's personal.””
“Then why do you look frightened?””
She snatched up the phone.
“Michael, stop interrogating me. We're discussing Madison's birthday, not my private messages.””
I watched her fingers tighten around the device.
Then it buzzed again.
This time, the preview appeared across the screen before she could turn it away.
*Daniel: Did Michael give Madison the Mercedes like we planned? Remember, you promised we'd sell it and split the money.*
I read it twice.
Daniel.
Vanessa's ex-husband.
Madison's biological father.
The man who had disappeared from most of her daily life years earlier, leaving Vanessa to explain his absences and me to help fill the gaps.
I raised my eyes.
Vanessa snatched the phone against her chest.
“Michael, don't.””
The kitchen seemed to grow smaller.
“What did he mean?””
She shook her head too quickly.
“You're taking that message out of context.””
“What context could possibly make it sound innocent?””
“He was joking.””
“About selling a Mercedes I bought for Olivia?””
Vanessa's lips parted, but no words came out.
I stepped closer.
“Did you and Daniel plan to get Madison a Mercedes using my money?””
“No!””
“Then why did he say you promised to split the money?””
She looked toward the kitchen door.
That tiny movement told me she was searching for an escape.
I reached into my jacket and pulled out the folder containing the Toyota's purchase documents.
“The dealership hasn't transferred the title yet,” I said.
“If you want to explain what's happening, now would be a good time.””
Vanessa stared at the folder.
“You wouldn't take Madison's car away.””
“I haven't decided anything.””
“You can't punish her because of a message from her father!””
“I'm asking you to explain a message from your ex-husband.””
She lowered her voice.
“You have no idea what Daniel and I have been dealing with.””
“Then tell me.””
For several seconds, she stood perfectly still.
Then she said something I never expected.
“Michael, if you find out what we agreed to, you'll understand why I had no choice.””
My stomach tightened.
“What agreement?””
Vanessa looked at me, tears suddenly shining in her eyes.
May you like
And when she finally spoke, she said the one thing that made the situation far worse than I'd imagined.
“Daniel needs the money, and Madison deserves to have something from him before it's too late.””
