Chapter 2: The Email My Father Never Saw
“Don't answer that phone,” Marcus said.
Denise clutched it against her chest.
“It's a private call.””
“Then why are you afraid to take it in front of us?””
“I'm not afraid!””
The phone rang again.
Maya stood beside her father, the new car keys digging into her palm. The scrape on her knee had begun to sting, but she barely noticed it.
She was watching Denise.
For years, Denise had always known what to say. She could turn a question into an accusation, an apology into a demand, and a simple disagreement into a lecture about everything Maya supposedly owed her.
Now, she couldn't even look Marcus in the eye.
“Denise,” Marcus said, “answer the phone.””
She pressed the decline button.
“There. Are you satisfied?””
“No,” Marcus replied.
“Not even close.””
Jordan leaned against the car, his hands buried in his pockets.
“This is ridiculous. You're acting like Mom committed a crime because she was trying to help me.””
Marcus turned toward him.
“Did you know this car was bought for Maya?””
Jordan hesitated.
“Yeah, but—”
“Did you know she earned it by graduating with honors?””
“Everyone knows that.””
“Then why were you sitting in the driver's seat?””
Jordan's jaw tightened.
“Because Mom said I could have it.””
Marcus looked at Denise again.
“And you thought that was acceptable?””
Denise lifted her chin.
“I thought it was fair.””
“Fair?”” Marcus repeated.
“Yes! Maya has a scholarship. She has her whole future planned out.
Jordan has had a difficult few years, and he needs something to help him get back on his feet. You're always giving Maya opportunities, Marcus. For once, I wanted you to think about my son.””
Marcus stared at her as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
“I bought Jordan a used truck last year.””
“He sold it.””
“He sold it without telling me.””
“He needed the money.””
“And I paid his rent for six months.””
“Because he needed help.””
“I paid his insurance, his phone bill, and his overdue tuition.””
Denise threw up her hands.
“So what? Are you going to keep a list of every dollar you've ever spent on him?””
Marcus took a slow breath.
“No. But apparently, I need to start keeping a list of every dollar you spend behind my back.””
That silenced her.
Maya felt her stomach tighten.
Behind my back.
Those words brought the email notification rushing into her mind.
“Dad,” she said, “do you remember an email from the bank a few weeks ago?””
Marcus turned.
“What email?””
“The one about a funds transfer. I saw the notification on the family computer. I thought it was one of your business accounts.””
Denise moved so quickly that her bracelet struck the porch railing.
“Maya, stop making things up.””
Maya flinched.
Marcus noticed.
“Don't speak to her like that.””
“I'm her stepmother!””
“And I'm her father.””
He stepped toward Denise.
“What email is she talking about?””
Denise shook her head.
“I don't know. I receive hundreds of emails. Maybe she saw something from my account.””
“The notification had your name on it,” Maya said quietly.
That was not entirely true.
She remembered the email had been addressed to Marcus, but Denise's name had appeared somewhere in the preview. At the time, Maya hadn't understood why.
Now, she wished she'd taken a screenshot.
Denise seized the uncertainty.
“You see?”” she said to Marcus.
“She doesn't even remember what she saw.””
Maya lowered her eyes.
It was a small victory for Denise, but Marcus wasn't finished.
“Everyone inside,” he said.
“Now.””
Jordan groaned.
“Seriously?””
“Do I look like I'm joking?””
Jordan kicked a small stone off the driveway and walked toward the house.
Denise followed, muttering under her breath.
Marcus placed a hand on Maya's back.
“Come on, sweetheart.””
Inside, the house looked exactly as it had that morning. Graduation cards stood on the dining table. A vase of white roses sat beside the cake Maya's father had ordered from her favorite bakery.
Someone had written CONGRATULATIONS, MAYA! in gold icing.
Jordan had already cut himself a slice.
Maya stopped in the doorway.
Her name was on the cake.
Yet somehow, the whole house felt as though the celebration belonged to someone else.
Marcus noticed where she was looking.
“Don't worry about the cake,” he said softly.
“We'll get another one.””
She almost laughed.
A new cake wouldn't fix anything.
But the fact that he had noticed mattered more than he knew.
They gathered in the living room. Marcus placed his keys on the coffee table and pulled out his phone.
“I'm calling the bank.””
Denise shot to her feet.
“No!””
The word came out too loudly.
Everyone stared at her.
She cleared her throat.
“I mean, there's no reason to involve the bank. This is a family disagreement.””
“Then the bank should have nothing to do with it.””
Marcus dialed the number printed on the back of his debit card.
Denise began pacing.
“Marcus, please. Think about what you're doing. You're humiliating me in front of the children.””
“I'm asking a bank about a transfer.””
“It's unnecessary.””
“Then it will take five minutes to prove that.””
The call connected.
Marcus gave his name, answered several security questions, and asked to speak with someone about a recent transfer from his personal savings account.
Maya watched Denise's face.
Her stepmother had stopped pacing.
She was gripping the edge of the mantel so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
After a brief hold, Marcus spoke again.
“I'm looking for a transfer made around the beginning of the month.””
A pause.
“No, I didn't authorize any transfer of that size.””
Another pause.
Marcus sat straighter.
“What do you mean, it was verified through my online banking?””
Denise closed her eyes.
Maya's heart began to pound.
Marcus looked at her.
Then at his wife.
“Could you tell me the exact amount?””
The room seemed to shrink around them.
He listened.
His expression changed from confusion to disbelief.
“Forty-eight thousand dollars?””
Jordan stopped chewing.
Maya stared at her father.
Forty-eight thousand dollars.
Marcus had been saving for years to help her pay for college expenses that her scholarship wouldn't cover. He had told her about the account when she was sixteen, explaining that it was an emergency fund and that she should never feel ashamed to ask for help if she needed it.
She had never asked for a penny.
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“When was this transfer made?””
He listened again.
“And where did the money go?””
Denise suddenly spoke.
“Marcus, hang up.””
He raised one finger, silencing her.
The bank representative continued.
Marcus's face went pale.
“An account in Denise Bennett's name?””
Maya heard a tiny sound escape her own throat.
Her stepmother's eyes filled with tears.
But they weren't the tears Maya recognized from arguments, when Denise cried to make Marcus feel guilty.
These were different.
These were the tears of someone whose secret had finally caught up with her.
Marcus ended the call only after confirming that the bank would freeze further outgoing transfers while it investigated the transaction.
He set the phone on the table.
Nobody spoke.
Then he looked directly at Denise.
“Tell me why forty-eight thousand dollars left my savings account and went into yours.””
Denise sank onto the sofa.
“Marcus, I can explain.””
“Then explain.””
She glanced at Maya.
For a moment, Maya thought Denise might blame her again.
Instead, Denise turned toward Jordan.
“Tell your father what you told me.””
Jordan nearly dropped his plate.
“What?””
“Tell him.””
“Mom, don't do this.””
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
“What has Jordan got to do with my money?””
Denise began crying in earnest.
“He needed help. His business was going to be a success. We were going to pay you back.””
“What business?””
“The detailing business!””
Marcus gave a disbelieving laugh.
“Jordan hasn't even registered a business.””
“I was going to!””
“You don't have a business plan. You don't have customers. You don't even have a driver's license that isn't suspended.””
Jordan slammed the plate onto the coffee table.
“You don't have to talk to me like I'm a child!””
“Then stop behaving like one.””
Denise stood.
“You promised me you wouldn't bring up his license!””
Marcus looked at her.
“I didn't promise you anything of the sort.””
The words landed like a slap.
Maya slowly sat in the armchair near the window. Her fingers had gone numb around the keys.
Forty-eight thousand dollars.
Her college fund.
The money that was supposed to help her begin the next chapter of her life.
She thought about all the times she had seen Denise buying expensive clothes, bringing home designer handbags, and announcing that she'd found wonderful bargains.
She remembered the new television in Denise's bedroom.
The family vacation Denise had insisted they couldn't afford until Marcus unexpectedly agreed to pay for it.
The way Denise had told Maya to choose a cheaper university because money was tight.
Had all of it been a lie?
“Dad,” Maya whispered, “was that my college money?””
Marcus looked at her.
“Yes.””
His voice cracked on the single word.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart. I should have checked that account sooner.””
Maya shook her head.
She couldn't blame him for trusting his wife.
But she couldn't stop wondering what Denise had done with the money.
Marcus turned back toward her.
“You said she lied to me. Is there something else?””
Maya hesitated.
There was something.
Something she'd found in the laundry room a week earlier, when she'd been looking for a missing graduation gown.
A folded letter had slipped out of Denise's handbag.
Maya had seen her own name.
She'd also seen the words UNIVERSITY FINANCIAL AID OFFICE.
At the time, she hadn't read the whole letter. Denise had returned unexpectedly, snatched it away, and accused Maya of snooping.
Now Maya stood.
“I saw a letter,” she said.
“From my university.””
Denise's crying stopped.
Marcus turned toward her.
“What letter?””
Maya looked at her stepmother.
“I don't know what it said. But Denise took it away before I could read it.””
Denise wiped her cheeks.
“That was a private document.””
“Was it addressed to me?”” Marcus asked.
No answer.
“Denise.””
She looked down.
Marcus's voice became dangerously quiet.
“Was it addressed to my daughter?””
“Yes,” Denise whispered.
“What did it say?””
“I don't remember.””
Maya felt a cold shiver move down her spine.
“You don't remember a letter you took out of your own handbag?””
Denise shot her a hateful look.
“Stay out of this!””
Marcus stood so abruptly that the coffee table rattled.
“Enough.””
He pointed toward the hallway.
“Get the letter.””
Denise didn't move.
“Now,” he repeated.
For several seconds, she looked as though she might refuse.
Then she walked upstairs.
The moment she disappeared, Jordan leaned toward Marcus.
“You're blowing this out of proportion.””
Marcus turned slowly.
“Your mother took forty-eight thousand dollars from my account.””
“She was going to pay it back!””
“With what?””
Jordan's mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Marcus looked at him with a disappointment so profound that Jordan finally lowered his eyes.
Maya stared at the staircase.
When Denise returned, she carried a white envelope.
Her hands were trembling.
She placed it on the coffee table but kept one palm pressed over the front.
Marcus reached for it.
Denise pulled it back.
“Before you read this,” she whispered, “you need to understand something.””
Marcus held her gaze.
“I'm listening.””
She swallowed.
“If Maya finds out what I did, she'll never forgive me.””
Maya's stomach dropped.
May you like
Because whatever was inside that envelope, Denise was no longer trying to hide it from her husband.
She was trying to hide it from Maya.
