Chapter 15 - The Truth He Couldn't Say
I looked at my father across the gate and felt twenty-four years of excuses rise between us.
"You still asked Clara? After the lies and the forged paperwork?"
"She's my mother," he said.
"And I'm your daughter."
He flinched. "I know."
"Then act like it."
I showed him Mom's letter. He read the passage about promises and the difference between love and obedience. Halfway down the page his mouth tightened. "Nina wrote this when she thought I wasn't listening."
"She was right."
Dad rested one hand against the gate. "Before she died, she asked me to keep Clara away from her medical records. I said yes. Then Clara cried, and I gave her a key to everything. Nina found out. We didn't speak for two days."
"What happened next?"
"Nina apologized for making me choose." His voice broke. "She shouldn't have. I should have chosen her privacy."
For the first time I heard a regret that didn't immediately ask me to fix it.
I told him about the shed and the obituary. He took the photograph and turned gray. "Clara has a red marking pen she uses on sale listings. It doesn't prove she did this. But it looks like her handwriting."
He said he would give June access to the company account and sign a statement about the papers he had handled. It was a start, not forgiveness. I made that clear.
"You also need to tell the deputy what you did to me on the lawn."
He closed his eyes. "That could become a criminal matter."
"It already happened. Whether you admit it doesn't change that."
May you like
My phone buzzed before he could respond. June had filed for emergency court protection to prevent any transfer while ownership and forgery were investigated. The court would hear the request the next morning.
Then Dad got a message from Clara: COME HOME. I HAVE ONE LAST THING OF NINA'S. IF EMILY WANTS IT, SHE CAN WATCH IT BURN.
