Chapter 3: What Rachel Left Behind
Melissa stared at Daniel as though she could somehow force him to take the question back.
"You've lost your mind.""
Daniel didn't respond.
"Do you hear yourself?"" Melissa demanded.
"Take Naomi's inheritance? I'm your wife.""
"That isn't an answer.""
"I don't need to answer an accusation that disgusting.""
Daniel held up the torn document.
"My signature is on a legal form I never signed.""
"You could have signed it.""
"I didn't.""
"You don't know that.""
"I do.""
Melissa looked toward Naomi.
"This is exactly what she wanted.""
Naomi blinked.
"What?""
"Look at us. Look at this family.""
Melissa gestured around the room.
"You come home and within an hour everybody is fighting.""
Naomi stared at her in disbelief.
"I came home with a trophy.""
"And immediately started a fight with Chloe.""
"Because she broke my things!""
"Accidents happen.""
"She said she did it!""
"No, she didn't.""
Chloe looked at her mother.
"Mom—"
"Go upstairs.""
Daniel spoke without looking away from Melissa.
"Chloe stays.""
Melissa's voice rose.
"Stop ordering her around!""
"I want to know what she knows.""
"She's a child.""
Naomi almost laughed again.
Interesting.
When Melissa wanted Naomi's ten thousand dollars, sixteen was old enough for her earnings to belong to the family.
When Chloe might expose Melissa, seventeen suddenly made her a child.
Daniel seemed to recognize the contradiction too.
He pulled out his phone.
Melissa's expression changed.
"Who are you calling?""
"My attorney.""
Her anger disappeared.
"Daniel.""
He scrolled through his contacts.
"Wait.""
He stopped.
For the first time, Melissa looked genuinely frightened.
"Don't turn this into something it isn't.""
"What is it?""
She lowered her voice.
"A family financial issue.""
"Then explain the forged signature.""
"I said wait.""
Daniel put the phone down but kept it in his hand.
"I'm listening.""
Melissa looked at Naomi.
"Not in front of her.""
Naomi's stomach tightened.
"It's my money.""
"It's adult financial business.""
Daniel shook his head.
"No more secrets about Naomi's property in front of Naomi.""
Melissa glared at him.
Then she sat down.
"I was trying to protect this family.""
Daniel waited.
"Your business has had bad years.""
"Not bad enough to touch Naomi's trust.""
"We have two daughters heading toward college.""
"Chloe has her own college fund.""
"Not like Naomi's.""
There it was.
Naomi felt the words hit her.
Not like Naomi's.
Melissa had compared them.
Calculated them.
Maybe for years.
Daniel's expression hardened.
"So this is about Chloe.""
"This is about fairness.""
"Rachel's money has nothing to do with fairness between Naomi and Chloe.""
"You say that because Naomi is yours.""
"And Chloe isn't?""
Melissa's face tightened.
Daniel continued.
"I've paid her tuition. I bought her car. I added her to my health insurance. I've treated her like family since she was nine.""
"Then prove it.""
Daniel stared at her.
"By stealing from Naomi?""
"I didn't steal anything!""
"Then why is your name on this document?""
Melissa fell silent.
Chloe sat slowly on the edge of the sofa.
Naomi watched her.
"Chloe," she said, "what did your mom tell you?""
Chloe shook her head.
"Please.""
Naomi's voice was different now.
Not angry.
Tired.
"What did she tell you about my money?""
Chloe stared at the floor.
"She said you wouldn't need all of it.""
Melissa closed her eyes.
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"Keep going.""
Chloe wiped her nose.
"She said your college would probably be covered because you get good grades.""
Naomi said nothing.
"And?""
"And that you'd get scholarships.""
Naomi looked toward the trophy she had carried home.
The trophy that came with ten thousand dollars.
Of course.
Her success hadn't protected her.
It had become Melissa's excuse for taking more.
Chloe continued.
"Mom said there was enough money for both of us.""
"There isn't money for both of you," Daniel said.
"There is money Rachel left Naomi.""
Chloe began crying again.
"I didn't know it was stealing.""
Melissa stood.
"It wasn't!""
Daniel's voice thundered through the room.
"THEN WHAT WAS IT?""
Everyone froze.
Daniel rarely shouted.
Naomi could count on one hand the number of times she'd heard him raise his voice like that.
He pointed at the paperwork.
"You removed documents from my safe.""
Melissa said nothing.
"You prepared paperwork putting yourself in control.""
Silence.
"My signature appears on paperwork I never signed.""
Melissa looked away.
"And you told Chloe she'd benefit from Naomi's trust.""
"Daniel—"
"Which part am I misunderstanding?""
Melissa's eyes filled with tears.
"You have no idea what it feels like.""
"What?""
"To live with Rachel's ghost.""
Naomi's body went rigid.
Daniel stared at his wife.
Melissa continued before anyone could stop her.
"Every room in this house has her in it. Every milestone Naomi reaches becomes another Rachel story. Every award goes on that shelf like some monument to the perfect daughter Rachel gave you.""
"Don't talk about my mother.""
Melissa turned toward Naomi.
"You want the truth? Fine. I'm tired of competing with a dead woman.""
Daniel's face changed.
"Melissa.""
"No. You wanted honesty.""
She pointed toward the shelf.
"Chloe sees it too. Naomi gets a medal, everyone celebrates. Naomi gets an A, you take her to dinner. Naomi wins a competition, suddenly she's the future of the family.""
Naomi's eyes burned.
"I worked for those things.""
"I know.""
"Then why punish me?""
Melissa had no answer.
Naomi picked up the little broken trophy.
"You know why this mattered?""
Melissa looked at it.
"My mom gave it to me when she could barely get out of bed.""
Daniel looked down.
Naomi's voice cracked.
"She couldn't come to my science fair. She cried because she missed it. So she bought this stupid fifteen-dollar trophy and told me I was the best scientist in the world.""
Chloe stared at the floor.
"And you threw it into a box because Chloe needed more room on a shelf.""
"I didn't know that specific trophy—"
"You didn't care enough to know.""
Melissa fell silent.
Naomi turned toward Chloe.
"And you called it cheap.""
Chloe's face crumpled.
"I didn't know.""
"You knew it was from my mom. I told you.""
"I'm sorry.""
Naomi looked at her for several seconds.
It was the first apology she had heard all afternoon.
But something still bothered her.
"If you knew Mom was trying to transfer the trust, why were these papers in my trophy box?""
Chloe looked at Melissa.
Melissa immediately said, "I have no idea.""
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"Neither do I.""
Naomi examined the torn pages.
"Someone ripped them.""
Daniel took them again.
"The documents appear incomplete.""
"Meaning?""
"These wouldn't be enough to transfer anything.""
Melissa looked away.
Naomi noticed.
"Dad.""
He followed her gaze.
Melissa's right hand was gripping the back of a chair.
Her knuckles were white.
Daniel spoke slowly.
"Where are the rest of the documents?""
"I don't know.""
"Melissa.""
"I don't know.""
Chloe whispered, "Mom.""
Melissa turned sharply.
"Don't.""
Daniel stepped closer.
"What else is there?""
Chloe covered her face.
Melissa grabbed her purse from the chair.
"I'm done with this.""
She headed toward the front door.
Daniel moved in front of it.
"I'm not stopping you from leaving.""
"Then move.""
"But you're leaving the envelope.""
Melissa looked down.
She was still holding Naomi's ten-thousand-dollar award packet.
For a moment, she actually seemed surprised.
As though she'd forgotten it was in her hand.
Daniel extended his palm.
"Give it back.""
Melissa handed it over.
Daniel immediately gave it to Naomi.
"Put this somewhere safe.""
Naomi hugged it against her chest.
Melissa reached for the door.
Then Daniel said, "And leave the house key.""
She froze.
Naomi's eyes widened.
Melissa slowly turned.
"Excuse me?""
"Until I know what happened with those documents, you're not staying here.""
"This is my house.""
"It's jointly our home. And I'm asking you to stay somewhere else tonight while I contact the attorney and the trust administrator.""
Melissa laughed bitterly.
"So Naomi wins.""
"This isn't a competition.""
"It always is.""
Chloe stood.
"I'm going with Mom.""
Daniel nodded.
"That's your choice.""
Chloe looked at Naomi.
For the first time all day, there was no smugness in her face.
Only fear.
Then she whispered, "Naomi, there's something else.""
Melissa spun around.
"Chloe.""
Chloe flinched.
Naomi's pulse quickened.
"What?""
"Don't do this," Melissa said.
But Chloe had already crossed a line she couldn't uncross.
She looked at Daniel.
"Mom didn't forge your signature.""
Daniel went still.
Naomi stared at her.
"What do you mean?""
Chloe began crying harder.
"I did.""
Silence.
Daniel looked at the document.
Then at Chloe.
"You signed my name?""
Chloe nodded.
Melissa rushed toward her.
"She doesn't know what she's saying.""
Chloe stepped away.
"Stop!""
Everyone froze.
Chloe had never shouted at her mother like that.
"You told me it wasn't a big deal!""
Melissa's face collapsed.
Daniel spoke carefully.
"What did she tell you?""
Chloe wiped her cheeks.
"She said you already agreed to make her trustee but forgot to sign one page.""
Daniel's eyes closed briefly.
"She gave me one of your old contracts so I could practice the signature.""
Naomi felt sick.
"Practice?""
Chloe nodded.
"I didn't want to do it.""
Melissa shook her head.
"That's not what happened.""
"You said we'd finally have something that was ours!""
"Chloe!""
"You said Naomi already had everything!""
Melissa's face twisted with panic.
"Stop talking!""
Chloe screamed back.
"You told me Dad would never notice!""
Daniel stepped between them.
"Enough.""
His voice wasn't loud anymore.
That made it worse.
He looked at Melissa.
"Did you ask Chloe to forge my signature?""
"No.""
Chloe sobbed.
"Yes.""
Daniel stared at his wife.
Then he picked up his phone again.
This time Melissa didn't tell him to stop.
Naomi stood beside the broken trophies, clutching her award envelope, watching the family she thought she understood collapse around her.
Daniel made one call.
"Richard? It's Daniel Parker. I need you to freeze any pending activity involving Rachel's trust immediately.""
Melissa sank onto the sofa.
Daniel listened.
Then his face changed.
"What do you mean, there was already a request?""
Naomi's heart stopped.
Daniel put the phone on speaker.
A man's voice came through.
"We received preliminary paperwork twelve days ago.""
Daniel looked directly at Melissa.
"Twelve days?""
"Yes. There was also an inquiry regarding an early distribution.""
Naomi gripped the envelope tighter.
"An early distribution for what?"" Daniel asked.
The attorney hesitated.
"According to the paperwork, educational expenses.""
Naomi frowned.
"I haven't submitted any college expenses.""
Daniel looked at her.
"I know.""
The attorney continued.
"The requested amount was forty-eight thousand dollars.""
Chloe stopped crying.
Melissa stared at the floor.
Daniel's face became terrifyingly still.
"Where was the money supposed to go?""
"I'd need to pull the full request.""
"Do it.""
Keyboard sounds came through the phone.
Naomi couldn't take her eyes off Melissa.
A minute earlier, the ten-thousand-dollar prize had seemed enormous.
Now somebody had tried to move nearly five times that amount from her mother's trust.
The attorney finally spoke.
"I have it.""
Daniel waited.
"The proposed distribution account is listed under an LLC.""
"What LLC?""
Another pause.
"MP Premier Holdings.""
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"I've never heard of it.""
Naomi looked at Melissa.
Neither had she.
But Chloe had.
Naomi saw it instantly.
Chloe's eyes widened.
"What?"" Naomi asked.
Chloe shook her head.
"Nothing.""
"Chloe.""
Daniel turned.
"You recognize that name?""
Melissa stood so quickly the coffee table shook.
"We're leaving.""
Chloe didn't move.
"Mom.""
"Now.""
"That's the company on the condo paperwork.""
Nobody breathed.
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
"What condo?""
Chloe looked between him and Melissa.
"The one Mom said we were buying.""
Melissa closed her eyes.
Naomi felt the floor disappear beneath her.
Daniel's voice became almost a whisper.
"Where?""
Chloe answered.
"Florida.""
Daniel stared at his wife.
"You were buying a condo?""
Melissa said nothing.
"With money from Rachel's trust?""
Still nothing.
Then the attorney's voice came through the phone.
"Daniel?""
Daniel picked it up.
"I'm here.""
"There's one more thing you should know.""
Daniel looked toward Naomi.
"What?""
"The request wasn't submitted only under Melissa's name.""
Naomi's stomach tightened.
"There is a second proposed authorized party attached to the transfer.""
Daniel glanced at Chloe.
"Who?""
The attorney gave the name.
And Naomi watched every trace of anger leave her father's face.
What replaced it was worse.
Shock.
Pure shock.
Because it wasn't Chloe.
It wasn't Melissa.
And it wasn't anyone Naomi had expected.
Daniel lowered the phone.
Naomi stepped toward him.
"Dad?""
He didn't answer.
"Who is it?""
Daniel looked at Melissa.
May you like
His voice shook for the first time.
"Tell me why my brother's name is on my daughter's trust paperwork.""
