Chapter 9: The Choice My Mother Made
I couldn’t move.
The document blurred in my hands.
Legal Transfer of Guardianship.
My mother’s signature.
The day before my grandfather died.
I looked at her.
“No.””
She closed her eyes.
“Simone…”
“No.””
My voice became sharper.
“You signed this?””
She didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
My father walked closer.
“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?””
I turned toward him.
“What?””
“The truth.””
He pointed at the paper.
“Here it is.””
I stared at him.
“You’re blaming her?””
“I’m showing you reality.””
I laughed.
“You forged my signature, created fake medical records, and tried to take everything my grandfather left me.””
My voice shook.
“And now you’re acting like she’s the reason?””
My father’s expression changed.
For the first time, he looked offended.
“You have no idea what I sacrificed.””
I stepped closer.
“No.””
I held up the document.
“I know exactly what you sacrificed.””
Silence.
“Me.””
My mother started crying.
“I thought I was protecting you.””
I looked at her.
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
“Then why did you sign?””
She looked at the floor.
And finally said:
“Because your father told me you would be taken away from us.””
The answer confused me.
“What?””
“He told me your grandfather’s lawyers would separate you from the family.””
I shook my head.
“That makes no sense.””
“I know that now.””
Her voice broke.
“But back then…”
She looked at the document.
“I was terrified.””
I studied her face.
The hardest part was that she wasn’t pretending.
She truly believed she was saving me.
And somehow, that made it worse.
Because she wasn’t a stranger.
She was my mother.
My father walked to the desk and picked up the recorder.
“You’re wasting time.””
I looked at him.
“What are you doing?””
He pressed a button.
The recording stopped.
“There is something you don’t know.””
“Another secret?””
“Yes.””
He placed the recorder down.
“You think your grandfather was protecting you.””
I said nothing.
“He wasn’t.””
The room went quiet.
“He was afraid of you.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“What does that mean?””
My father smiled slightly.
The same smile that always came before something cruel.
“Ask Victor.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“Why?””
“Because Victor knows what your grandfather discovered.””
“Which is?””
My father leaned forward.
“The reason your grandfather changed the entire inheritance plan.””
I waited.
But he didn’t answer.
Instead, he looked toward the window.
“Victor has been using you.””
I shook my head.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I expect you to investigate.””
That was the problem.
It sounded reasonable.
And I hated that.
My phone buzzed.
A message from Victor.
*Do not believe anything Richard tells you.*
A second message appeared.
*Your grandfather left you evidence because he trusted you.*
Then another.
*But he also left a warning about me.*
My heart raced.
I looked up.
My father was watching me.
He knew.
“How did you know Victor messaged me?””
Nobody answered.
Then my mother whispered:
“Because Richard has been watching your phone for years.””
The room went silent.
I looked at my father.
“You tracked me?””
His expression hardened.
“I protected you.””
“No.””
I stepped backward.
“You controlled me.””
A loud crash came from outside.
Everyone turned.
A car door slammed.
Then another.
My father’s face changed.
Not anger.
Fear.
Real fear.
Someone was approaching the house.
My mother whispered:
“Who is that?””
My father didn’t answer.
The front door opened.
A voice called from the hallway.
“Richard.””
I recognized the voice.
Victor.
But he wasn’t alone.
Another person stepped inside.
Someone I never expected to see.
Someone who had been missing from my life for years.
Someone my family told me had abandoned us.
My father went completely pale.
Because the person standing at the door said:
“Simone, I’m sorry I disappeared.””
May you like
A pause.
“I was trying to keep you alive.””
