Chapter 2 – The Truth They Buried
The shattered wineglass seemed impossibly loud.
Nobody spoke.
Not even my father.
Attorney Rebecca Shaw stepped through the front door before anyone could recover. She had been waiting outside exactly as we planned, knowing that if I called, it meant my family had crossed the line I prayed they never would.
She removed her wool coat and placed a leather briefcase beside the Christmas tree.
"Merry Christmas," she said politely.
No one answered.
She looked at my father.
"Mr. Collins, you've just been served with notice of civil litigation regarding the concealment of trust assets, fraudulent misrepresentation, and financial interference."
Chelsea shot to her feet.
"This is insane!"
Rebecca calmly opened the folder.
"It isn't."
One by one, she laid certified copies across the dining table.
Grandfather's original trust.
Bank transfer records.
Letters addressed to me that had never reached my mailbox.
My mother gasped.
"I... I thought those letters had stopped coming."
Rebecca looked directly at her.
"They didn't."
Every Christmas.
Every birthday.
Every year after Grandpa died.
The law firm had mailed notices informing me that the trust remained untouched.
Every single letter had been delivered to my parents' address.
Every single one disappeared.
I stared at my mother.
"You knew?"
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I asked your father about them... he told me they were mistakes."
Dad slammed both hands onto the table.
"I did what was best for this family!"
Rebecca didn't even flinch.
"No, sir."
She slid over one final document.
"You transferred trust income into an account owned jointly by yourself and Chelsea."
Silence.
Chelsea's face drained of color.
Maisie squeezed my hand.
"Mom..."
I looked down at her.
May you like
For the first time all evening, she wasn't scared.
She was watching the truth win.
