Chapter 13: The Man Who Thought He Won
I stared at the picture until my eyes started to hurt.
David Collins was standing inside my house.
My house.
The same kitchen where Kelsey had screamed when she found my name on the deed.
The same hallway where my family tried to replace my memories with theirs.
And now David was there, holding the one document that could end everything.
My phone buzzed again.
Another message.
*Come alone. Or you’ll never know the truth.*
Ryan read it over my shoulder.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“No?””
“You’re not going.””
I almost laughed.
“Ryan, he has the original trust document.””
“And he wants you alone for a reason.””
He was right.
But that didn’t mean I could ignore it.
Miranda looked at the picture carefully.
“Don’t respond yet.””
“Why?””
“Because this could be a trap.””
I looked at the image again.
“He wants me scared.””
“No,” Miranda said.
“He wants you emotional.””
That hit harder.
Because she was right.
David had spent months controlling everyone by using fear.
My parents.
Ryan.
Kelsey.
And now me.
I put the phone down.
“Then we stop playing his game.””
Miranda nodded.
“Exactly.””
But an hour later, I went to the house anyway.
Not alone.
I parked two streets away.
Miranda stayed in contact with me through my phone.
Ryan waited nearby.
For once, nobody was making decisions without me.
I walked toward my front door.
The lock was broken.
My stomach tightened.
David hadn’t broken in.
He had wanted me to see it.
A message.
A performance.
I stepped inside.
The house was dark.
“David?””
A light turned on.
He was sitting at the kitchen table.
The same table I had picked out three months earlier.
The same place where my family had laughed while planning my future without me.
David looked calm.
Almost peaceful.
“I knew you would come.””
I stayed near the door.
“You broke into my house.””
“No.””
He smiled slightly.
“I entered a property that was connected to my family.””
My jaw tightened.
“You really believe that.””
“I know that.””
He placed a folder on the table.
“The truth has been hidden from you your entire life.””
“By you.””
He ignored that.
“Your grandfather made mistakes.””
I walked closer.
“My grandfather protected his family.””
“No.””
David’s expression hardened.
“He abandoned mine.””
There it was.
The real wound.
Not money.
Not the house.
Something older.
“You think this is about Ryan.””
“It is about justice.””
“You tried to steal from me.””
“I tried to restore what was taken.””
I looked at him.
“You mean you wanted control.””
His eyes narrowed.
“You’re exactly like your grandfather.””
I froze.
“What does that mean?””
“He was stubborn.””
I said nothing.
“He thought blood and paperwork mattered more than loyalty.””
I almost smiled.
“Interesting coming from someone who forged paperwork.””
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw anger.
“You don’t understand what happened.””
“Then explain.””
For a moment, he looked tired.
Not dangerous.
Just tired.
“My mother died believing your grandfather destroyed her life.””
I listened.
“She loved him.””
My eyebrows tightened.
“Loved him?””
David nodded.
“He promised her he would leave your grandmother.””
The room felt colder.
“But he didn’t.””
“No.””
David looked down.
“And when he chose your family, mine was left behind.””
I stared at him.
“So you spent your whole life trying to punish my family.””
“No.””
He looked at me.
“I spent my whole life trying to correct history.””
He pushed the folder toward me.
“Read it.””
I opened it.
Inside was a copy of the trust.
My eyes moved across the pages.
Then stopped.
Because there was something I had never seen before.
An amendment.
A handwritten addition.
And at the bottom…
My grandfather’s signature.
“What is this?””
David smiled.
“The truth.””
I read the sentence.
*If Jenna chooses to reject the responsibility of this property, ownership shall pass to the next eligible descendant.*
I looked up.
“That doesn’t give you the house.””
“No.””
David leaned forward.
“But it proves something.””
“What?””
“That your grandfather knew you might refuse.””
I frowned.
“Why would I refuse?””
His smile disappeared.
“Because he knew you had your mother’s heart.””
The words bothered me.
“What does that mean?””
Before he answered, my phone buzzed.
Miranda.
One message.
*Jenna, get out now. The document David showed you is incomplete.*
My heart stopped.
I looked back at David.
He knew.
He knew I had received the message.
And he smiled.
May you like
Because he wasn’t trying to convince me.
He was trying to buy time.
