Chapter 6: The Son Who Knew
Marcus looked at his son.
Caleb's face went white.
“I didn't do that.””
Marcus kept the screen open.
“The signature says your name.””
“I know.””
“Then explain.””
“I can't.””
Nia stepped forward.
“Caleb.””
He backed away.
“Don't.””
Marcus softened his voice.
“Son, look at me.””
Caleb slowly did.
“Did someone make you sign something?””
“No.””
“Did you give anyone your password?””
Caleb hesitated.
“My mom asked me to log into Dad's computer once.””
“When?””
“Last month.””
“What did she say?””
“She said she needed to print a school form.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
“Did you leave the room?””
“Yes.””
“How long?””
“Maybe ten minutes.””
Nia whispered, “She copied his signature.””
Caleb looked at her.
“I didn't know.””
Marcus sat down.
“You weren't supposed to know.””
Caleb wiped his face.
“I thought Mom was fixing bills.””
Marcus looked at the transfer.
Three hundred thousand dollars.
Elise Collins Memorial Trust.
A dead account.
A forged signature.
Someone had resurrected money Marcus believed no longer existed.
He opened the banking records.
The account had received deposits every few months.
For nearly two years.
Marcus stared.
“Two years.””
Nia moved closer.
“What's wrong?””
“I thought that account was closed.””
“Can someone reopen it?””
“Not without authority.””
“Who had authority?””
Marcus looked at the trust papers.
Dean.
He checked the trustee information.
Still Dean.
Marcus's breathing slowed.
“Dean never stopped being trustee.””
Nia's eyes widened.
“He was still in charge?””
Marcus nodded.
“And he was moving money into it.””
“Why?””
Marcus opened another document.
A clause near the bottom caught his attention.
The trust wasn't simply for Nia.
It was protected from creditors.
Protected from lawsuits.
Protected from marital claims.
Marcus looked up.
“Dean wasn't stealing the money.””
Nia frowned.
“What?””
“He was hiding it.””
“From who?””
Marcus stared at the documents.
“From me.””
Caleb sat down.
“I don't understand.””
Marcus tapped the page.
“Your mother's trust wasn't supposed to be accessed until Nia turned eighteen.””
Nia's face tightened.
“That's next year.””
“Yes.””
“So what was Dean trying to do?””
Marcus kept reading.
Then his eyes stopped.
The trust could be challenged under one condition.
If Nia's biological parentage was disputed.
His stomach dropped.
“That was the plan.””
“What plan?”” Nia asked.
“Dean wanted to challenge your inheritance.””
Nia went still.
“Why?””
“Because if he could prove I wasn't your father…”
“I am your daughter.””
“I know.””
Marcus looked at the documents.
“But he wanted a court to question it.””
Caleb whispered, “Then why did he make Mom hurt Nia?””
Marcus said nothing for a moment.
Then he answered.
“To keep Nia frightened.””
Nia's face crumpled.
“So I wouldn't ask questions.””
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.””
The office fell silent.
Then the printer in the corner suddenly started running.
Marcus turned.
Nobody had touched it.
A sheet slid out.
Then another.
Then another.
Nia walked toward it.
“Dad.””
Marcus took the top page.
It was a draft legal filing.
*PETITION TO CHALLENGE PATERNITY AND TRUST BENEFICIARY STATUS.*
The filing date was tomorrow.
At the bottom was a signature line.
Marcus stared at it.
Then he saw the attached evidence.
A photograph.
A hospital record.
And a handwritten statement from Elise.
He read the first sentence.
His hands began to tremble.
Nia looked at him.
“What does it say?””
Marcus folded the page.
“Something your mother wrote before she died.””
“About me?””
“Yes.””
“Dad, please.””
He finally handed her the paper.
Nia read it.
Her lips parted.
“That's not true.””
Marcus looked at her.
“What?””
She shook her head.
“This isn't what Mom told me.””
Marcus felt the room tilt.
Because the statement wasn't about Nia's father.
May you like
It was about Nia's birth.
And according to Elise's own handwriting, the story Marcus had believed for fifteen years was a lie.
