Chapter 4: The Woman Who Came Back From the Dead
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
My sister was alive.
After four years of unanswered calls, sleepless nights, and wondering whether she was lying somewhere in an unmarked grave, Olivia was alive.
And she was asking for me.
I gripped the edge of the table.
"Where is she?""
Daniel lowered his phone.
"At the downtown police station. She turned herself in approximately twenty minutes ago.""
"Turned herself in for what?""
"She hasn't provided a complete statement yet. But she claims to have evidence concerning the foundation transfers.""
I swallowed.
"Did she ask about me?""
Daniel nodded.
"Her exact words were, 'Tell Maya I need to explain everything before Evelyn gets to her.''"
I looked toward Evelyn.
The older woman had gone rigid.
Marcus noticed.
"What does my mother have to do with this?""
Evelyn straightened her shoulders.
"Nothing. Your sister-in-law's family problems are not my responsibility.""
I almost laughed.
Four years ago, Olivia had disappeared.
Three weeks ago, someone had used my identity to sign a fraudulent financial agreement.
And now my sister was at a police station warning me about Evelyn.
Nothing about this was a coincidence.
Marcus took off his boutonniere and placed it on the table.
"Daniel, we're going to the police station.""
Evelyn grabbed his arm.
"Absolutely not.""
He looked down at her fingers.
"Let go.""
"Marcus, think about what you're doing. The guests are here. The press may already be outside. You cannot abandon your wedding to chase after some woman who has been missing for years.""
"She's Maya's sister.""
"She's a criminal!""
Daniel calmly closed his folder.
"That determination is for the authorities, Mrs. Williams.""
Evelyn turned on him.
"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into.""
Daniel met her stare.
"Actually, Mrs. Williams, I think I do.""
Two uniformed officers appeared at the ballroom entrance.
One approached Daniel.
"Mr. Brooks?""
"Yes.""
"We've been asked to accompany you and Mr. Williams. We also need to speak with Mrs. Williams and Miss Vanessa Reed.""
Vanessa's face went pale.
"Why me?""
The officer opened a small notebook.
"Your name has appeared in several documents connected to a suspected financial fraud investigation.""
Vanessa looked at Marcus.
"You're letting them do this?""
Marcus didn't answer.
She grabbed his hand.
"Baby, look at me. You know me. You know I wouldn't hurt you.""
He slowly removed her fingers.
"I thought I knew you.""
That was when Vanessa stopped pretending to cry.
Her face hardened.
"You'll regret this.""
Marcus looked at her.
"Maybe. But at least I'll know the truth.""
The drive to the police station took twenty-three minutes.
I sat in the back of Daniel's car, staring at my hands.
Marcus sat beside me.
Neither of us spoke for most of the journey.
Finally, he turned.
"Maya.""
I looked at him.
"I'm sorry.""
I swallowed.
"For what?""
"For not answering your calls.""
My throat tightened.
He continued.
"Vanessa told me you were becoming obsessed with our relationship. She said you had been sending inappropriate messages and showing up at places where we were together.""
I stared at him.
"Did you believe her?""
He looked down.
"I didn't know what to believe.""
"So you stopped answering me?""
"I thought distance would make things easier.""
I turned toward the window.
Outside, Chicago passed in streaks of gray and gold.
"Do you know what was hardest?"" I asked.
He waited.
"It wasn't that you didn't believe me. It was that you never gave me the chance to explain.""
Marcus closed his eyes.
"I know.""
"I was trying to protect you.""
"I know that now.""
I looked at him.
"Then don't ask me to forgive you today.""
He nodded.
"I won't.""
For the first time in seven years, Marcus didn't try to defend himself.
And somehow, that hurt more than an argument.
At the police station, a detective named Sarah Mitchell met us near the reception desk.
She was in her early forties, with short brown hair and a serious expression.
"Mr. Williams?""
Marcus nodded.
"Detective Mitchell.""
She looked at me.
"Maya Carter?""
"Yes.""
"Your sister is waiting in Interview Room Three.""
My heart began racing.
"Can I see her?""
"She requested you specifically. But before we proceed, I need you to understand something. Your sister has admitted to participating in certain transactions. She is cooperating, but that doesn't automatically make her innocent.""
I nodded.
"I understand.""
Detective Mitchell led us down a narrow corridor.
The smell of disinfectant hung in the air.
When she opened the door, I stopped breathing.
Olivia was sitting at a metal table.
Her hair was shorter than I remembered. There were faint lines around her eyes, and her face looked thinner.
But it was her.
My sister.
The woman who used to braid my hair before school.
The woman who gave me her winter coat when we couldn't afford two.
The woman who disappeared without telling me whether she was alive.
She stood when she saw me.
"Maya.""
I couldn't move.
She took one step forward.
"I'm sorry.""
I shook my head.
"Don't.""
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I know I don't deserve—"
"Don't say you're sorry like that fixes four years.""
She lowered her head.
Marcus remained near the doorway while Detective Mitchell watched quietly.
Olivia wiped her cheeks.
"You look beautiful.""
I laughed bitterly.
"I'm standing here in a torn dress because your employers tried to steal eleven million dollars.""
She flinched.
"I know.""
"Do you?""
I stepped closer.
"Do you know I spent four years thinking you were dead?""
Olivia nodded.
"I know.""
"Do you know I blamed myself?""
Her mouth trembled.
"I know, Maya.""
"Then why?""
She looked at Marcus.
Then at Daniel.
Finally, she reached into the pocket of her coat and removed a small photograph.
It was old.
The edges were worn.
She placed it on the table.
I recognized the man immediately.
My father.
Or the man I had always believed was my father.
He was standing beside a younger Evelyn Williams.
Both were smiling.
I looked at Olivia.
"Where did you get this?""
"From Mom's old things.""
My heart pounded.
"Why do you have it?""
Olivia sat down.
"Because four years ago, I discovered that the man who raised us wasn't your biological father.""
I glanced at Marcus.
His face had gone pale.
Olivia continued.
"After Mom died, I found a locked box in her closet. Inside were letters, medical records, and photographs. One of the letters was addressed to me.""
"What did it say?""
Olivia took a trembling breath.
"Mom wrote that your father had been involved with another woman before he married her.""
I looked at the photograph again.
Evelyn.
"Who was the woman?""
Olivia's voice dropped.
"Evelyn Williams.""
The room seemed to shrink.
Marcus stepped forward.
"That's impossible.""
Olivia looked at him.
"I'm sorry.""
"My father was married to my mother for thirty-four years.""
"I know.""
"He loved her.""
Olivia nodded.
"Maybe he did. But he also had a relationship with Evelyn before you were born.""
Marcus stared at the photograph.
"Why would my mother know anything about this?""
Olivia gave a sad smile.
"Because your father was involved with both women.""
Silence.
Then she looked at me.
"And because you and Marcus share the same biological father.""
I felt the floor disappear beneath me.
Marcus took a step backward.
"No.""
Olivia closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry.""
I shook my head.
"No. You're lying.""
"I wish I were.""
I looked at Marcus.
He was staring at me as though the entire world had just shifted beneath his feet.
Seven years.
Seven years of friendship.
Seven years of trust.
Seven years of standing beside each other through birthdays, funerals, celebrations, and heartbreak.
And now Olivia was telling us we shared a father.
Detective Mitchell quietly closed the door.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then Marcus asked the only question that seemed to matter.
"Does my mother know?""
Olivia looked directly at him.
"She's known since before you were born.""
Marcus gripped the back of the chair.
"Then why did she allow me to become so close to Maya?""
Olivia hesitated.
And that hesitation frightened me more than anything she'd said.
"Because," she whispered, "she thought you would eventually marry Vanessa.""
Marcus frowned.
"What does Vanessa have to do with this?""
Olivia reached into her coat again.
This time, she removed a sealed envelope.
"Everything.""
She pushed it across the table.
"Because Vanessa wasn't chosen to marry you for the money alone.""
Marcus opened the envelope.
Inside was a copy of a birth certificate.
The name of the mother was Vanessa Reed.
The father's name was listed as unknown.
But attached to it was a second document.
A private paternity report.
Marcus read the first line.
Then his face turned completely white.
Olivia whispered:
May you like
"Vanessa is Evelyn's daughter.""
And suddenly, the wedding disaster made a terrible kind of sense.
