Chapter 4: The Name She Threw at Me
“Ask your daughter who she's protecting.””
Vanessa's words hung in the living room long after she stopped speaking.
Dad turned toward me slowly.
“Maya?””
I stood beside Malik, gripping the sleeve of his hoodie. My stepbrother didn't move away, but I could feel the tension in his arm.
“I don't know what she's talking about,” I whispered.
Vanessa gave a small, bitter laugh.
“Of course you don't.””
Dad's voice hardened.
“Vanessa, explain yourself.””
She set her suitcase down beside the stairs. Instead of answering him, she reached into her purse and pulled out a folded sheet of paper.
“I wasn't going to show you this,” she said.
“I thought it would be better if we handled it privately.””
Malik stepped forward.
“What is it?””
“Stay out of this.””
“You involved me when you started lying about Maya.””
Vanessa ignored him and handed the paper to Dad.
He unfolded it.
I watched his eyes move across the page. At first, he looked confused. Then his eyebrows drew together.
“What is this?””
“A report from Maya's school.””
My stomach tightened.
Dad read the first paragraph again.
The paper contained a short statement from my school counselor, Ms. Bennett, documenting a meeting we'd had two weeks earlier. I'd asked for help after Vanessa threw away several of my mother's belongings.
But the statement didn't say anything about pregnancy tests.
It didn't accuse me of anything.
“Why are you showing me this?”” Dad asked.
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“Because you need to understand that Maya has been telling people things about me.””
“I told Ms. Bennett that you threw away Mom's things.””
“And you told her I was cruel to you.””
“Because you were!””
Vanessa's face tightened.
“See? That attitude. Always shouting, always making accusations.””
Dad looked back at the report.
“There's nothing here about the test.””
“No, but it shows she's been trying to turn people against me.””
Malik shook his head.
“You're using a school counselor's notes to justify planting something in a child's backpack?””
“I did not plant anything!””
“You just admitted you wanted to frighten her!””
“I said I wanted her to understand the seriousness of her behavior!””
Dad slapped the paper onto the table.
“Enough!””
Vanessa fell silent.
Dad took a deep breath, then faced me.
“Maya, did you tell Ms. Bennett anything else about Vanessa?””
I swallowed.
“Yes.””
“What?””
I glanced at Vanessa.
She was watching me with an expression that made my stomach twist.
“She told me not to tell you about some things.””
Dad's face changed.
“What things?””
I struggled to speak.
“Sometimes she takes your phone when you're sleeping. She reads your messages. And she gets angry when you call Aunt Rebecca.””
Dad stared at her.
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“Oh, for heaven's sake. I was trying to keep this family from falling apart.””
“By reading my private messages?””
“Your sister has been putting ideas in Maya's head for months.””
“Aunt Rebecca is my sister,” Dad said.
“She has every right to talk to me.””
“And she has every right to interfere in our marriage, apparently!””
Malik took the school report from the table.
“There's something written on the back.””
Vanessa's face went white.
He turned the paper over.
In blue ink, someone had written a phone number and a short note.
If Maya feels unsafe at home, she can contact me directly.
Below it was Ms. Bennett's signature.
Dad read the note.
Then he looked at me.
“Did you feel unsafe?””
I stared at the floor.
“Yes.””
The word came out so quietly that I almost hoped he hadn't heard it.
But he had.
He knelt in front of me.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because every time I tried, Vanessa said you were already stressed at work. She said if I made you worry about her, you'd send me away.””
Dad's eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, Maya.””
“I didn't want you to hate me.””
“I could never hate you.””
I looked at him.
“You did today.””
He didn't defend himself.
He simply lowered his head.
“You're right,” he whispered.
“I failed you today.””
For a moment, Vanessa looked genuinely alarmed.
She had expected tears to make Dad turn against me. Instead, my father's apology was pulling something loose inside him.
She grabbed her suitcase.
“I'm leaving. Clearly, this family has decided I'm the villain.””
Dad stood.
“You're leaving because I asked you to stay somewhere else while we figure out what happened.””
“You don't trust me anymore.””
“I don't know what to believe.””
She gave a humorless laugh.
“Then believe this. Your daughter knows more than she's telling you.””
She walked toward the front door.
Malik moved aside to let her pass.
But just before Vanessa reached the handle, her phone rang.
She looked at the screen and immediately rejected the call.
It rang again.
This time, Dad noticed the name.
“Who is Ethan?””
Vanessa clutched the phone against her chest.
“Someone from work.””
“Then why are you afraid to answer?””
“I'm not afraid.””
The phone rang a third time.
Dad held out his hand.
“Let me see.””
“No.””
“Vanessa.””
She stepped backward.
For the first time since she'd entered our home, she looked genuinely frightened.
Then a message appeared on her screen.
Malik saw it before she could hide the phone.
He read the preview aloud.
“Did you tell Daniel about the first test?””
Vanessa's face went completely blank.
Dad stared at her.
“The first test?””
She shoved the phone into her purse.
“It's not what you think.””
Dad's voice dropped.
“Then tell me what it is.””
She didn't answer.
Instead, she opened the front door and hurried outside.
Dad followed her onto the porch, calling her name, but she climbed into her car and drove away without looking back.
Malik closed the door.
For several seconds, none of us spoke.
Then he turned toward me.
“Maya, do you know anyone named Ethan?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
He looked at Dad.
“Then why would someone ask whether he knew about the first test?””
Dad rubbed his face.
“I don't know.””
But I remembered something.
Three weeks earlier, I'd come home from school and found Vanessa sitting at the kitchen table, staring at a pregnancy test. She hadn't seen me standing in the hallway.
She'd been crying.
When I asked if she was okay, she'd hidden the test and told me to go to my room.
That night, she'd accused me of listening to conversations that didn't concern me.
I'd forgotten about it until now.
“Dad,” I whispered.
He turned immediately.
“What is it?””
“I saw Vanessa with a pregnancy test before. Three weeks ago.””
Dad went still.
“Are you sure?””
I nodded.
“She was crying. Then she told me never to mention it.””
Malik looked between us.
“Then maybe the positive test wasn't planted because Vanessa wanted to hurt Maya.””
Dad's face tightened.
“What are you saying?””
Malik glanced toward the window, where Vanessa's car had disappeared into the darkness.
“Maybe she was trying to hide something that happened before the test ever showed up in Maya's backpack.””
Dad looked at the front door.
His phone began ringing.
The caller ID read Rebecca Carter.
He answered immediately.
“Rebecca?””
My aunt's voice came through the speaker, sharp with concern.
“Daniel, I need to ask you something. Vanessa called me ten minutes ago.””
Dad straightened.
“What did she say?””
Rebecca hesitated.
“She asked whether Maya had told you about the baby.””
My father's hand tightened around his phone.
“What baby?””
May you like
There was a long silence.
Then my aunt whispered, “Daniel, I think Vanessa has been lying to all of us.””
