Chapter 6: What My Father Hid Before He Died
I didn't sleep that night.
The photograph of my father's watch box stayed open on my phone.
I remembered sitting on his lap when I was seven, watching him open it every Sunday morning.
Inside, he kept his wedding ring, an old photograph of my grandfather, and a silver pocket watch that had belonged to his own father.
But there was something else.
A tiny hidden compartment beneath the velvet lining.
When I was younger, I had once found it by accident.
Dad had gently taken the box from me and smiled.
"Some things are better kept safe, Bella.""
I had never asked what he meant.
Now, I wondered whether the box contained the truth my mother had spent years hiding.
At 7:00 a.m., Grandma made breakfast.
I sat at the table, staring at the photograph.
"Abuela, I want to go home.""
She stopped pouring coffee.
"Why?""
"Because I need to see what's inside that box.""
She sat opposite me.
"Linda could be trying to trap you.""
"I know.""
"Then why go?""
"Because it's Dad's.""
Grandma looked at me for a long moment.
Finally, she nodded.
"Then we won't go alone.""
She called Thomas.
He advised us not to confront Linda without a witness. He also suggested that we arrange to collect the box through a neutral third party.
But my mother refused.
She sent another message.
No lawyers. No Evelyn. Just you and me.
Grandma read it and shook her head.
"She knows we're getting close.""
At 10:30, Thomas called back.
"Patricia Collins has agreed to meet me this afternoon. She says she has documents and messages from Linda.""
Grandma thanked him.
Then she looked at me.
"We'll wait until we know more.""
I tried.
I really did.
But at 1:17 p.m., my phone rang.
It was my mother.
I answered.
"What?""
"Isabella, where are you?""
"With Grandma.""
"I asked you to come home.""
"Why?""
"Because I want to talk about your father.""
I closed my eyes.
"You mean the father whose money you took?""
Linda sighed.
"You're being disrespectful.""
"Then stop lying.""
There was silence.
When she spoke again, her voice was softer.
"Your father wasn't perfect, Isabella.""
I frowned.
"What does that have to do with anything?""
"He made mistakes. Big ones.""
"Like what?""
"He wasn't always honest with me.""
I looked at Grandma.
She was watching me carefully.
"What are you saying?""
Linda lowered her voice.
"There's something in that watch box you should see before your grandmother tells you another version of the story.""
My stomach tightened.
"What's inside?""
"Come home and I'll show you.""
"Why can't you tell me now?""
"Because you need to understand what your father was really like.""
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Grandma shook her head.
"She wants to control the story.""
"Maybe Dad did something.""
Grandma reached across the table.
"Your father was human, Isabella. He wasn't perfect. But don't let anyone use his mistakes to justify stealing from you.""
I nodded.
Still, the uncertainty stayed with me.
At 3:40 p.m., Thomas arrived at Grandma's house.
He carried a brown folder.
"Patricia gave me these.""
He placed several printed messages on the table.
They were between Linda and Mark.
The dates went back nearly eight months.
I began reading.
Linda: The trust is still protected. Evelyn won't sign anything.
Mark: Then stop asking her. We need another way.
Linda: I can submit the old authorization.
Mark: You said you had Isabella's signature.
Linda: I'll handle it.
I looked up.
"These are real?""
Thomas nodded.
"Patricia provided the original message export from her phone. We'll preserve it for verification.""
I continued reading.
Another conversation caught my attention.
Mark: What about the girl?
Linda: She won't know anything until it's done.
Mark: And if she finds out?
Linda: She's fourteen. She'll believe whatever I tell her.
My hands began shaking.
I pushed the papers away.
Grandma took a slow breath.
Thomas remained quiet.
"Isabella," he said gently, "there's one more thing Patricia told me.""
I looked at him.
"What?""
"She said Linda has been telling people that your father left debts and that the trust was never intended to belong entirely to you.""
"Why?""
"To justify the transfers.""
Grandma shook her head.
"Daniel would never have agreed to that.""
Thomas opened the folder again.
"Which brings us to the watch box.""
He looked at me.
"Patricia believes Linda has kept it because it contains a document Daniel wrote shortly before his death.""
I sat upright.
"What document?""
"She didn't know.""
Grandma frowned.
"Why would Linda tell Isabella to come alone if she simply wanted to give her the box?""
Thomas didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at me.
"Do you remember anything your father said about the box?""
I thought carefully.
Then I remembered.
"He told me there was something inside that belonged to me. He said I'd understand when I was older.""
Thomas nodded.
"That may be important.""
At 5:15 p.m., my mother sent another message.
I'm leaving the box outside the front door. Take it before Mark comes home.
Grandma looked at Thomas.
"That doesn't sound right.""
Thomas picked up his phone.
"I'll contact the local authorities and ask about arranging a safe property retrieval. Nobody should enter the house alone.""
But before he could make the call, another message appeared.
This one came from Brianna.
You need to stop. Mom is crying because of you.
Then:
You think you're the only one who lost a father?
I stared at the screen.
I had never known what to say when Brianna mentioned her biological father.
She rarely spoke about him.
But now I wondered whether her inheritance was connected to everything happening in our family.
I typed a response.
What did Mom tell you about Dad's money?
The message showed as read almost immediately.
No reply came.
A minute later, Brianna called.
I answered.
"What?""
"Why are you asking me questions?""
"Because I want to know what you knew.""
"Mom told me your father left money for the family.""
"He left it for me.""
"That's what the lawyer says.""
"That's what the documents say.""
Brianna laughed bitterly.
"You think you're so special because he left you money.""
I felt my anger rising.
"I didn't ask him to die.""
Her voice changed.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she said quietly, "You weren't the only one who lost something.""
I swallowed.
"What does that mean?""
"My father left me money, too.""
"I know.""
"No, you don't.""
I frowned.
"Then tell me.""
Brianna hesitated.
"Mom said my father left me almost eighty thousand dollars. She told me it was being kept for college.""
My stomach tightened.
"Was it?""
"I don't know. She said there were problems with the account.""
"Did she give you seventy-five thousand dollars?""
"No.""
I blinked.
"What?""
Brianna's voice became sharp.
"She never gave me anything. She told me the money was being used to cover bills.""
I stared at the phone.
"But Thomas found a transfer to your name.""
"Then why don't I have it?""
The question landed heavily.
I looked at Grandma.
She was listening.
Brianna continued.
"Mom told me you were trying to take everything away from us. She said your grandmother wanted to kick Mark out of the house and make us homeless.""
I closed my eyes.
"That's not true.""
"Then why did she tell me that?""
"I don't know.""
Brianna was quiet.
Then she whispered something I hadn't expected.
"Isabella, I didn't know about the money when I ruined your dress.""
I remembered the blue paint.
The photograph.
Her laughter.
"Why did you do it?""
She didn't answer.
"Why, Brianna?""
Finally, she said, "Because Mom told me you were getting everything. She said you were going to leave us behind when you turned eighteen.""
I stared at the wall.
"So you destroyed my dress because you were jealous?""
"I didn't think you'd be this upset.""
"It was my quinceañera.""
"I know.""
"You knew I worked for eleven months.""
Another silence.
Then her voice became smaller.
"Mom said it would teach you a lesson.""
My blood ran cold.
"What lesson?""
"That you shouldn't act like you're better than everyone.""
I couldn't speak.
Brianna began crying.
"I didn't know about the bank documents. I swear.""
I didn't know whether to believe her.
But something about her voice sounded different.
For the first time, she wasn't laughing.
"Do you know where the watch box is?"" I asked.
"Yes.""
"Where?""
"In Mom's bedroom. Inside the bottom drawer of her dresser.""
"Why?""
"Because I saw her put it there.""
I thanked her quietly and ended the call.
Thomas looked at me.
"What did she say?""
I explained everything.
He listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he rubbed his forehead.
"This suggests Brianna may have been manipulated into participating in the harassment. But we still need to establish what she knew about the financial transfers.""
Grandma looked toward the window.
"Linda has been feeding these girls lies for years.""
I stared at my phone.
I couldn't stop thinking about Brianna's words.
Mom said it would teach you a lesson.
My mother hadn't merely failed to protect me.
She had encouraged someone to hurt me.
At 6:32 p.m., Thomas received a call.
He answered.
"Yes?""
His expression changed almost immediately.
"What do you mean?""
Grandma stood.
"What's wrong?""
Thomas listened.
Then he looked at me.
"Isabella, the authorities have located the original watch box.""
My heart jumped.
"Where?""
"At a storage unit registered under your mother's name.""
"Can we get it?""
"There's a complication.""
"What complication?""
Thomas looked down at his notes.
"Someone accessed the storage unit this afternoon.""
"Who?""
He hesitated.
Then answered.
"Mark Collins.""
Grandma covered her mouth.
Thomas continued.
"And according to the storage facility's security report, he left carrying a small metal container.""
I felt the room spin.
"Was it the watch box?""
Thomas nodded slowly.
"It appears to be.""
I looked at Grandma.
"What's inside it?""
She reached for my hand.
"I don't know, sweetheart.""
Then Thomas added one final detail.
"The storage manager found something else on the floor.""
"What?""
"A torn envelope.""
He paused.
"Your father's name was written on it. And the words on the outside were...""
Thomas stopped.
Grandma leaned closer.
"What words?""
He looked directly at me.
"DO NOT LET LINDA READ THIS.""
My heart pounded.
Because suddenly, I understood why my mother had wanted me to come home alone.
May you like
She wasn't trying to show me what my father had left.
She was trying to get to it before I did.
