Chapter 3: The House That Wasn't Theirs
I found my mother sitting alone at the kitchen table when I returned downstairs.
The dog had curled up beside her chair.
Someone had cleared away the dinner plates, but nobody had offered her anything else to eat.
Vanessa was standing near the refrigerator, scrolling through her phone.
“Daniel explained everything?”” she asked.
I ignored her and sat beside my mother.
“Mama, did you sign the house over to Daniel and Vanessa?””
My mother closed her eyes.
“Oh, Carmen.””
“I'm not angry with you. I just need to understand.””
Vanessa put her phone down.
“She signed willingly.””
I looked at her.
“I wasn't asking you.””
Her cheeks reddened.
“Excuse me?””
“I'm speaking to my mother.””
Daniel entered the kitchen.
“Carmen, let's not do this again.””
I turned toward him.
“Then tell me why our mother transferred her house to you.””
He pulled out a chair.
“Because she needed somewhere to live.””
I stared at him.
“She owned the house.””
“Maintaining it was becoming difficult.””
“Then we could have hired someone to help her.””
“It's not that simple.””
“It is actually very simple. She owns a house. She needs help. Her children help her.””
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“Your mother was struggling financially. We offered to take her in.””
I looked around the kitchen.
The expensive refrigerator.
The marble countertops.
The new cabinets.
The large dining table.
All the things that had apparently been paid for using my mother's money.
“You offered to take her in after taking her house?””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“Be careful.””
“No. You be careful.””
My mother reached for my hand.
“Carmen, sweetheart, please. It was my decision.””
I turned toward her.
“Why?””
She stared at the table.
For a long moment, I thought she wouldn't answer.
Then she spoke.
“Daniel told me he was having problems. He said Vanessa was talking about leaving. He said the children might have to move away.””
Daniel shifted in his chair.
“Mom—”
She continued.
“He told me the house could help them. He said I could stay with them forever.””
My throat tightened.
“And you believed him?””
She nodded.
“I didn't want the children to lose their home.””
I glanced at Ethan and Lily.
They were sitting on the living room sofa, pretending not to listen.
“Mom, you gave them your home to protect their family?””
She nodded again.
“I thought that was what a mother was supposed to do.””
I couldn't speak.
My mother had spent her entire life making sacrifices for us.
She worked double shifts when Dad's construction company struggled.
She sold her wedding necklace to pay my college tuition.
She stayed awake beside Daniel when he broke his leg as a teenager.
She had given us everything she could.
And somehow, we had allowed her to believe she needed to give away her home to deserve a place in our lives.
I squeezed her hand.
“You don't have to earn a place in this family.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
Vanessa made a small noise of impatience.
“That's a lovely speech, but it doesn't change the deed.””
I turned toward her.
“Have you actually read it?””
She smiled.
“Of course.””
“Who prepared it?””
“Our attorney.””
“Was Mom represented by her own attorney?””
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
Daniel stood.
“Carmen, stop acting like you're some kind of investigator.””
I looked at him.
“I'm acting like a daughter who just discovered her mother is being mistreated in the house she paid for.””
He lowered his voice.
“You need to leave.””
I shook my head.
“Not without Mom.””
My mother suddenly pulled her hand away.
“No.””
I turned to her.
“Mama?””
She was crying now.
“I can't leave.””
“Why?””
She looked toward the children.
“Daniel told me if I went against them, I wouldn't be allowed to see Ethan and Lily.””
I stared at my brother.
“Did you threaten her with her grandchildren?””
Daniel looked furious.
“I never threatened her.””
Vanessa walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Your mother is confused. She forgets things. Sometimes she says things that aren't true.””
My mother flinched.
I noticed the way Vanessa stood behind Daniel, almost hiding him from me.
Then I noticed something else.
A small camera mounted in the corner of the kitchen.
It was pointed directly at the dining table.
“What's that?””
Vanessa glanced up.
“Security camera.””
“Why is it recording the kitchen?””
“To protect the house.””
“From whom?””
She smiled.
“People who come here looking for trouble.””
I pulled out my phone.
“I'd like to speak to Mom privately.””
Vanessa laughed.
“She doesn't have secrets from us.””
My mother looked at me.
For the first time that afternoon, I saw something other than fear in her eyes.
It was desperation.
“Carmen,” she whispered.
“The blue box.””
I leaned closer.
“What blue box?””
She glanced at Daniel.
He immediately stood.
“Mom, don't.””
Vanessa's head turned.
“What box?””
My mother swallowed.
“Nothing.””
I took her hand.
“Mama, tell me.””
She shook her head.
“Your father left something for you. He told me not to give it to anyone until I was certain.””
I felt my heart begin to pound.
“What did Dad leave?””
Daniel walked toward us.
“Mom, you're tired. Go upstairs.””
My mother stood suddenly.
“No.””
Everyone stopped.
She looked at her son.
“You told me your father left nothing else.””
Daniel's face went pale.
Vanessa stared at him.
“What is she talking about?””
My mother looked at me.
“Before your father died, he gave me a little blue metal box. He said it contained something important. He told me to keep it somewhere Daniel couldn't find it.””
Daniel's expression changed completely.
“Mom, where is it?””
She shook her head.
“I hid it.””
“Where?””
“I won't tell you.””
Vanessa grabbed Daniel's arm.
“Why would your father hide something from his own son?””
My mother looked at her.
“Because he knew.””
The kitchen went silent.
Daniel took a step toward her.
“Knew what?””
My mother pressed her lips together.
Then she looked directly at me.
“He knew someone would try to take the house.””
I felt a chill travel down my spine.
Vanessa laughed nervously.
“That's ridiculous. The house belongs to us.””
My mother shook her head.
“No, Vanessa. You only have the papers Daniel showed you.””
Daniel's hands began to tremble.
I looked at him.
“What does that mean?””
He didn't answer.
My mother reached into the pocket of her cardigan and pulled out a small folded photograph.
It showed my father standing beside the oak tree in our old backyard.
On the back, in his handwriting, were six words:
The house belongs to Carmen and Daniel.
I turned the photograph over again.
Underneath those words was a date.
And a final sentence.
If anything happens to me, find the lawyer.
I looked at my brother.
His face had gone completely white.
Vanessa grabbed the photograph from my hand.
“That's impossible.””
But my mother wasn't looking at her anymore.
She was staring at Daniel.
“Your father came to me three weeks before he died,” she whispered.
“He told me he had changed his will.””
Daniel stumbled backward.
Then he asked the one question that made me realize he had known more than he was admitting.
“Mom,” he whispered, “did you already give Carmen the name of the lawyer?””
My mother slowly shook her head.
“No.””
May you like
Then she looked at me.
“But I think it's time you knew why your father was afraid of your brother.””
