Chapter 6: The Letter Under the Floorboard
I didn’t sleep.
Not because I was scared of the message.
Because I was scared that I believed it.
The hardest part about betrayal isn’t finding out someone lied.
It’s realizing there might be more lies underneath.
The next morning, Marcus found me sitting at the kitchen table.
The same place where he used to help me with homework.
The same place where he promised me the future would be different.
Now neither of us knew what was real.
“You got the message.””
It wasn’t a question.
I looked up.
“You knew someone might contact me?””
Marcus sat across from me.
“No.””
“But you’re not surprised.””
He looked away.
That was answer enough.
I pushed my chair back.
“I need the truth.””
Marcus rubbed his hands over his face.
“I don’t know how to explain this.””
“Try.””
He looked exhausted.
“After your mother died, I found documents.””
“What documents?””
“Letters.””
My heart started beating faster.
“From Mom?””
“Yes.””
“Where are they?””
Marcus didn’t answer.
That silence made me stand.
“Where are they?””
He looked at me.
“Hidden.””
“Why?””
“Because I was afraid.””
The honesty surprised me.
My father was admitting fear.
Not anger.
Not control.
Fear.
“What did they say?””
Marcus stared at the table.
“They said she believed someone close to us was taking money.””
I swallowed.
“And you didn’t tell me?””
“You were a child.””
“I’m fourteen.””
“You’re my son.””
His voice cracked.
“I wanted you to have a normal life.””
I shook my head.
“I don’t have a normal life.””
The words hurt both of us.
Before he could answer, the apartment door opened.
Darius walked in.
Marcus immediately stood.
“You need to leave.””
“No.””
Darius looked at me.
“I know where the letters are.””
Everything stopped.
Marcus’s face changed.
“How?””
Darius didn’t respond.
He looked at me.
“Your mother didn’t trust many people.””
I stepped closer.
“But she trusted you?””
He nodded.
“More than your father thinks.””
Marcus’s expression turned cold.
“That’s enough.””
Darius ignored him.
“Your mother left instructions.””
“Instructions for what?””
Darius looked at Marcus.
“For what to do if the money disappeared.””
My heart raced.
“She knew?””
“She suspected.””
Vanessa suddenly appeared in the doorway.
“You’re all making a mistake.””
We turned.
She looked different.
Not powerful.
Not confident.
Desperate.
“You don’t know what she was like at the end.””
My father stared at her.
“Don’t talk about my wife.””
Vanessa’s voice softened.
“She was paranoid.””
I felt anger rise.
“Don’t.””
Everyone looked at me.
“You don’t get to talk about her like that.””
Vanessa looked at me.
“I knew your mother.””
“No.””
I stepped forward.
“You knew her money.””
The words hit.
She looked away.
Darius walked toward the hallway.
“There’s a loose floorboard in your mother’s old room.””
Marcus froze.
Because he knew.
He knew exactly what Darius meant.
“You searched?””
Marcus didn’t answer.
That was enough.
We walked down the hallway together.
My hands shook as Marcus opened the door to the room that had stayed untouched for years.
My mother’s room.
Her perfume bottle still sat on the dresser.
Her books still lined the shelf.
Her life frozen in time.
Darius pointed toward the floor.
“There.””
Marcus moved the rug.
One wooden board was slightly raised.
My heart pounded.
He lifted it.
Underneath was a small box.
Inside was one envelope.
My name was written across the front.
*Jordan.*
My hands went cold.
My mother had written it.
Marcus looked at me.
“I never opened it.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
His eyes filled with regret.
“Because I was afraid of what she wanted you to know.””
I picked up the envelope.
The room became silent.
Then I noticed something.
There was another name written beneath mine.
A name I didn’t recognize.
A name my mother had chosen to include.
I turned the envelope over.
And my breath stopped.
May you like
Because underneath my name were four words:
*Open only with Darius.*
