Chapter 15 - The Last Person We Expected
Just when we thought we understood everything, someone unexpected contacted us.
Teresa’s sister.
My aunt Linda.
The same person who had stayed silent during the birthday party.
The same person who had defended Teresa.
She wanted to meet.
I almost refused.
But Daniel convinced me.
“She may have information we need.”
We met at a quiet restaurant.
Linda looked nervous.
“I owe you the truth.”
I said nothing.
She continued.
“I knew Teresa was taking your money.”
My jaw tightened.
“You knew?”
She looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because I was afraid of her.”
That answer surprised me.
“She controlled all of us.”
Linda explained that Teresa had spent years manipulating family members.
Creating debts.
Holding secrets.
Making people dependent on her.
“She always needed someone to blame.”
Linda reached into her bag.
“I kept this because I knew one day you would need it.”
She placed a small envelope on the table.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
From Teresa.
But not to me.
To Mason.
I read the first line.
“If Connor refuses, we use the backup plan.”
My heart raced.
Backup plan?
I kept reading.
And then I saw the date.
The letter was written two years before Frederick was born.
Before the birthday party.
Before the fake deed.
Before everything.
Teresa had been planning this for years.
Amy looked at me.
“What does it say?”
I folded the letter.
“It says this was never about the house.”
She stared.
“Then what was it about?”
I looked down at the final sentence.
And my blood turned cold.
“Once Connor loses control, we take everything he inherited from his father.”
The truth was finally complete.
But it also meant one thing.
Teresa wasn’t finished.
May you like
She had lost the first battle.
But she was preparing for the final one.
