Chapter 3: The Papers in the Drawer
My father had never looked afraid before.
Angry, yes.
Tired, often.
Guilty, sometimes.
But never afraid.
That scared me more than anything Victoria had said.
“Dad?”” I whispered.
He looked at the letter in my hand.
Then at Grandma Pearl.
Then finally at Victoria.
“What are you doing up here?””
Victoria immediately changed.
The fear disappeared.
The cold confidence returned.
“I was trying to stop Lily from making a mistake.””
I almost laughed.
“A mistake?””
She looked at me.
“Yes.””
Grandma Pearl stepped forward.
“No more lies.””
My father closed his eyes.
“Mom…”
“No,” Grandma said.
“Not this time.””
She pointed at the document in his hand.
“What is that?””
My father hesitated.
Victoria answered for him.
“It’s nothing.””
Grandma’s eyes narrowed.
“Then why are you holding it like it weighs a hundred pounds?””
Nobody spoke.
I looked at my father.
“What is going on?””
He walked into the attic slowly.
“I didn’t want you to find out like this.””
My stomach twisted.
“Find out what?””
He looked at Victoria.
And for a second, I saw something I had never seen between them.
Doubt.
“You said you were going to handle this.””
Victoria’s face hardened.
“I am.””
“No,” my father said quietly.
“You aren’t.””
The silence was crushing.
Grandma Pearl took the document from his hand.
She opened it.
Her eyes moved across the page.
Then she looked at Victoria.
“You’re unbelievable.””
I stepped closer.
“What is it?””
Grandma handed me the paper.
It was a property agreement.
My eyes scanned the words.
Then I saw my mother’s name.
My heart dropped.
“What is this?””
My father rubbed his face.
“Your mother owned part of this house.””
I looked up.
“What?””
Victoria interrupted.
“She didn’t tell you because she was controlling.””
Grandma Pearl snapped her eyes toward her.
“Careful.””
I kept reading.
The house.
The land.
The inheritance.
My mother had protected my future.
She had made sure I would always have a home.
But there was something else.
A signature.
Victoria’s.
My hands went cold.
“Why is your name here?””
Nobody answered.
I looked at my father.
“Dad?””
He looked away.
That hurt more than anything.
“Because after your mother died,” he finally said, “Victoria convinced me to change the agreement.””
I stared at him.
“You changed my mother’s wishes?””
“I thought I was protecting the family.””
“No,” Grandma Pearl said.
“You were protecting your comfort.””
My father looked broken.
Victoria crossed her arms.
“This is ridiculous. The house belongs to this family.””
I looked at her.
“You mean you.””
Her eyes sharpened.
“You have no idea how much I sacrificed.””
I stepped closer.
“You destroyed my mother’s memories because you wanted to remove every reminder that she existed.””
Victoria’s expression changed.
A small smile appeared.
And that scared me.
“You still don’t understand.””
“What?””
She walked toward the trunk.
“You think this is about ornaments? A house? A few papers?””
She looked at Grandma Pearl.
“It’s about what your mother did before she died.””
My breath caught.
Grandma Pearl became still.
“What are you talking about?””
Victoria smiled.
“Tell her.””
Nobody moved.
My father looked down.
Grandma Pearl’s voice was quiet.
“Victoria.””
But Victoria continued.
“Your mother found out the truth.””
I felt dizzy.
“What truth?””
Victoria looked directly at me.
“She knew your father wasn’t going to leave me.””
My eyes moved to my father.
“What does that mean?””
My father whispered:
“Lily…”
But Victoria wasn’t finished.
“She knew I had been lying.””
The attic felt silent enough to hear my heartbeat.
“What did you lie about?””
Victoria took a breath.
Then she said:
“Your mother discovered why I married your father.””
Grandma Pearl grabbed the edge of the table.
“Stop.””
Victoria smiled.
“No. She deserves to know.””
She stepped closer.
“I didn’t marry him for love.””
I waited.
Everyone waited.
Victoria looked at me and delivered the words that changed everything.
“I married him because your mother had something I wanted.””
The old attic suddenly felt freezing.
“What?”” I whispered.
Victoria’s eyes moved toward the Christmas ornaments sitting in their broken boxes downstairs.
And she said:
“The truth about your mother’s last Christmas.””
Before I could ask what she meant, Grandma Pearl’s phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her face changed.
“What is it?”” I asked.
She answered slowly.
Then her expression turned from anger to shock.
Because whoever was calling had only said three words.
May you like
And those three words made Grandma Pearl whisper:
“She’s alive.””
