Chapter 3: The Day Everything Disappeared
My father stared at my phone screen like it was a weapon.
The color drained from his face.
“Who sent that?”” he whispered.
I held the phone tighter.
“You tell me.””
Nobody spoke.
My mother looked between us.
“Richard?””
He stood slowly.
“Maya, there are things you don’t understand.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
My voice surprised even me.
“I understand that everyone kept secrets from me.””
The words hung in the air.
For years, I had wondered why my father became distant after my mother vanished.
At first, I thought he was grieving.
Then I thought he was struggling.
Then I thought maybe losing my mother changed him.
But now I realized something.
Maybe he wasn’t broken.
Maybe he was hiding.
Aunt Denise walked closer.
“Tell her.””
My father looked at her.
“Denise, please.””
“No.””
Her voice was firm.
“She’s eighteen. She has the right to know.””
Vanessa suddenly grabbed her purse.
“I’m leaving.””
I stepped in front of the door.
“No, you’re not.””
She glared.
“You don’t get to talk to me like that.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You spent six years pretending my mother abandoned me.””
My voice shook.
“You stole her place at my graduation before she even had a chance to walk through the door.””
Vanessa’s jaw tightened.
“I raised you.””
I stared at her.
“You erased her.””
For once, she had no reply.
My father sat down.
His shoulders collapsed.
“I never wanted this.””
My mother looked at him.
“Then why did you let it happen?””
He covered his face.
“Because I thought I was protecting Maya.””
I felt my anger rise.
“From what?””
He looked at me.
And the fear in his eyes made me nervous.
“From losing everything.””
The room became quiet.
He took a deep breath.
“Six years ago, after Angela’s accident, Vanessa convinced me Angela was never coming back.””
My mother shook her head.
“But I did.””
“Yes,” Dad whispered.
“And when you called, I panicked.””
“Why?””
He looked at me.
“Because I had already told everyone you left.””
My heart sank.
“What?””
He continued.
“Your teachers. Our neighbors. Your friends’ parents.””
He rubbed his forehead.
“I couldn’t admit I lied.””
I stepped backward.
“So you chose to let me hate my mother?””
He started crying.
“I was wrong.””
“No.””
My voice cracked.
“You were afraid.””
The truth hurt more because it was simple.
My father wasn’t protecting me.
He was protecting himself.
Aunt Denise opened another file on her phone.
“There’s more.””
Vanessa looked alarmed.
“Stop.””
Denise ignored her.
“She didn’t just fake Maya’s death certificate.””
My mother looked at her.
“What else?””
Denise turned the phone around.
On the screen was a bank statement.
My name was printed at the top.
I frowned.
“What is that?””
Dad looked away.
My aunt answered.
“The life insurance policy.””
My stomach twisted.
“What life insurance policy?””
Nobody moved.
Then my father whispered:
“The one Vanessa took out after Angela disappeared.””
The room went silent.
I looked at Vanessa.
She looked terrified.
“You insured me?””
Vanessa opened her mouth.
“Maya, listen—”
“No.””
I backed away.
“You made money from pretending I was dead?””
Her face changed.
Anger replaced fear.
“You have no idea what I sacrificed for this family.””
My mother stepped forward.
“You sacrificed my daughter’s childhood.””
Vanessa pointed at her.
“You abandoned her.””
My mother’s eyes filled with tears.
“I was lying unconscious in a hospital bed.””
The argument stopped.
Because there was no answer to that.
Then my phone buzzed again.
Another message.
This time, it included a photo.
A photo of my mother’s car after the accident.
But something was wrong.
Written on the bottom of the image was a date.
*October 14, 2020.*
And underneath it were six words:
*She wasn’t supposed to survive.*
I looked at my father.
He had seen the message.
And he whispered something that made my blood turn cold.
“Maya…”
“What?””
He looked toward Vanessa.
“She wasn’t the one who caused the accident.””
Vanessa’s face went completely white.
“Richard, don’t.””
My father swallowed.
“The person who did…”
May you like
He looked at me.
“…is someone standing in this room.””
