Chapter 6: The Woman Who Had Been Lying For Years
The next morning, my father barely slept.
I knew because I saw him sitting in the kitchen at 5 a.m., staring at a stack of papers.
Coffee sat untouched beside him.
That scared me more than anger.
My father was the kind of person who always searched for solutions.
But now…
He looked lost.
I walked into the kitchen.
“Dad.””
He looked up.
“I’m sorry.””
Those were the first words he said.
Again.
Always apologizing.
Always carrying blame.
“Tell me what happened.””
He looked at the papers.
“Your mother left something important.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
“Before she died, she prepared documents.””
“For what?””
He hesitated.
“Your inheritance.””
I stared at him.
I knew my mother had owned some things.
A few personal belongings.
Some savings.
But inheritance?
“I thought there wasn’t much.””
“There wasn’t.””
He paused.
“Except one thing.””
“What?””
“A house.””
I blinked.
“A house?””
My father nodded.
“The house where your mother grew up.””
I remembered that place.
The old blue house with the giant tree in the backyard.
The place where my mother told me stories.
The place I thought belonged only to memories.
“She wanted you to have it when you became an adult.””
I looked at the papers.
“So what happened?””
My father’s jaw tightened.
“The documents are gone.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Gone?””
“Yes.””
“Who had access?””
He didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
Both of us knew.
Karen.
Mia.
My father had spent years trusting the wrong people.
And now pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together.
The destroyed dress.
The missing money.
The stolen documents.
It wasn’t random.
Karen walked into the kitchen.
And the second she saw our faces, she knew.
“What happened?””
My father looked at her.
“You tell me.””
Her expression changed.
“What does that mean?””
“Where are the documents?””
Silence.
A terrible silence.
Karen looked at me.
Then back at him.
“I don’t know.””
My father stepped closer.
“Don’t lie to me.””
Her face hardened.
“You think I did this?””
“I think you know more than you’re saying.””
She laughed.
A bitter, cold laugh.
“You always did love her more.””
I froze.
There it was.
The truth behind everything.
Not Mia.
Not completely.
Karen.
The resentment started with her.
My father stared at her.
“What did you say?””
“You heard me.””
Her voice rose.
“You built this perfect little memory around your first wife. She was always the saint. The amazing mother. The woman nobody could compare to.””
“That’s not true.””
“Yes, it is!””
Her anger filled the kitchen.
“And then I came into this family and had to live in her shadow.””
I understood then.
Mia inherited the jealousy.
But Karen created the environment.
She taught her daughter that love was a competition.
That someone else’s happiness meant her own loss.
My father looked heartbroken.
“You took from my daughter because you were jealous of my past?””
Karen looked away.
“I was tired of being second.””
I shook my head.
“You never were.””
She looked at me.
“You don’t understand.””
“No.””
My voice became stronger.
“I understand perfectly.””
She looked surprised.
“You wanted everyone to forget my mother.””
The room went silent.
“But you couldn’t.””
I stepped closer.
“Because kindness doesn’t disappear just because someone dies.””
My father looked at me.
And I saw something in his eyes.
Pride.
Not because I was attacking Karen.
Because I was finally standing up for myself.
Then Karen did something unexpected.
She smiled.
Not kindly.
Not sadly.
Confidently.
“You really think you know everything?””
My stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?””
She picked up her purse.
“It means your mother wasn’t as perfect as you think.””
My father’s face changed.
“Karen.””
But she kept going.
“There are things you don’t know.””
I stared at her.
“What things?””
She walked toward the door.
“Ask your father.””
Then she left.
And the moment the door closed…
I looked at him.
“What was she talking about?””
My father didn’t answer.
That scared me.
Because for the first time in my life…
My father looked afraid.
May you like
And I knew whatever secret was coming next…
It was going to change everything I believed about my family. :::
