Chapter 4: The Signature That Looked Like Mine
Daniel folded his arms as I compared the signature with the one on my driver’s license.
The shape was close, but the final letter leaned the wrong way.
“You signed dozens of documents after your father passed,” he said.
“You probably don’t remember.”
“I remember every document connected to that money.”
“You were grieving.”
Mia placed another paper on the table.
“This transfer was approved while Karen was attending her cousin’s wedding in Toronto.”
Daniel pointed at her.
“You had access to Karen’s email.
You could have printed anything.”
“Not her bank records.”
I looked at Mia.
“How did you get these?”
“Your father listed me as the backup contact on the inheritance account.
The bank sent an alert when Daniel tried to move another forty thousand dollars last week.”
“You waited a week to tell me?”
Her mouth trembled.
“I wanted proof before I broke your marriage apart.”
Daniel laughed once.
“You wanted drama.
You’ve wanted Karen to yourself since college.”
“Stop it,” I said.
“Both of you.”
I opened my banking app.
The inheritance account showed a balance of three hundred and twelve dollars.
“Where is the rest?”
Daniel pulled out a chair.
“I invested it for us.”
“In a house where your daughter lives?”
“The property is worth more than I paid.”
“Then why hide it?”
“Because you spent years talking about how much you wanted a child.
I didn’t know how to tell you I already had one.”
The words pressed the air from my chest.
Mia reached for me, but I moved away from both of them.
“You watched me go through appointments, tests, and disappointment.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“You were protecting yourself.”
Daniel’s phone lit up on the table.
A message appeared before he turned it over.
DANIEL, YOU SAID KAREN WOULD NEVER FIND OUT.
CALL ME.
The name above it was Claire.
“Is Claire Lily’s mother?”
“No.”
“Then who is she?”
Daniel pocketed the phone.
“She takes care of Lily.”
Mia slid a card toward me.
“I found Claire’s number through the property records.”
Daniel seized the card.
“You are not calling her.”
“Why?”
“Because she wants money.”
“So do you, apparently.”
His eyes hardened.
“If you leave this house tonight, don’t expect access to our joint accounts tomorrow.”
I opened the banking app again.
Our checking and savings accounts no longer appeared.
“What did you do?”
“I protected our finances until you calm down.”
Mia stepped beside me.
“Come home with me.”
Daniel stood between us and the door.
“If Karen walks out with you, I will tell your employer you accessed confidential records.”
“I didn’t.”
“Do you think they’ll wait to find out?”
Mia went pale, but she did not move.
I took Claire’s number from the photograph I had hidden in my pocket and dialed it.
A woman answered after one ring.
“Hello?”
“My name is Karen.
I’m Daniel’s wife.”
There was a sharp breath.
Then a child spoke in the background.
“Aunt Claire, is that the lady Daddy said would send me away?”
Claire lowered her voice.
“Karen, come to the house now.
Daniel plans to take Lily tomorrow.”
