Chapter 12 - My Sister Made One Terrible Mistake
By morning, I had stopped thinking of my parents as merely greedy.
Greed was wanting something that belonged to someone else.
What I was looking at now appeared to be an attempt to manufacture permission that had never existed.
Mr. Whitmore arrived at nine.
I showed him Tyler's email.
He studied the scanned agreement carefully.
"Emily, did you ever authorize anyone to sign documents on your behalf?"
"No."
"Have you signed a power of attorney?"
"No."
"Did you attend any meeting involving Hartwell Development?"
"Never."
He nodded.
"We'll preserve this document and investigate its origin."
I looked toward the signature.
"It's not even close to mine."
"That's useful information."
The paper listed Brianna as a witness.
I felt an unexpected surge of anger.
Not shock.
Not sadness.
Anger.
I had expected cruelty from my parents.
But some childish part of me had still remembered an eight-year-old Brianna sharing her candy with me in the back seat of our old family car.
I called her.
She answered on the fourth ring.
"What?"
"We need to talk."
"I'm busy."
"About the property agreement."
Silence.
Then: "What agreement?"
"The one with my signature."
Another pause.
"Emily, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Your name is listed as a witness."
She inhaled sharply.
"Where did you get that?"
"Does it matter?"
"Tyler gave it to you, didn't he?"
Her voice rose.
"That traitor!"
I closed my eyes.
"Brianna, did you see me sign anything?"
"No."
The answer came before she could stop herself.
Silence followed.
Then she said, "Wait. That's not what I meant."
I looked toward Mr. Whitmore.
He was making a note.
"What did you mean?"
"Mom said everything was already arranged."
"Did you sign as a witness?"
"She told me it was a formality!"
I pressed my fingers against my forehead.
"Brianna."
"What?"
"You can't witness something you didn't witness."
"I didn't know!"
For the first time, she sounded genuinely frightened.
I softened my voice.
"Then you need to tell the truth."
She hung up.
Ten minutes later, Mom called.
I let it go to voicemail.
The message began with a sharp breath.
"Emily, I don't know what game you're playing, but involving Brianna in this is unacceptable. You're going to destroy this family over a house."
I listened twice.
Then saved it.
Mr. Whitmore looked troubled.
"We need to ensure you aren't pressured into making statements or signing anything without counsel."
I nodded.
"Grandpa knew they'd do this, didn't he?"
"He suspected they might try to obtain control of the property. He took steps to prevent an unauthorized transfer."
I looked down at the forged-looking document.
"Is the house safe?"
"Arthur's trust documents and the recorded property instruments provide significant protection. We'll continue reviewing anything your parents may have filed or circulated."
That afternoon, Tyler arrived at the house.
He wore a navy sweater and looked as though he hadn't slept.
"I'm sorry," he said immediately.
"For what?"
"Brianna broke off our engagement."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"Apparently, providing you with a document she showed me counts as betrayal."
I almost laughed.
"I'm sorry."
He shrugged sadly.
"Maybe it's better I learned this before the wedding."
We sat on the porch steps.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Tyler looked toward the garden.
"Your grandfather was a good man."
"You knew him?"
"Briefly. I met him at Brianna's birthday dinner two years ago."
I frowned.
"Grandpa went to Brianna's birthday?"
"Yes. Didn't you know?"
I shook my head.
Tyler's expression softened.
"He brought her a handmade jewelry box. She thought it was old-fashioned."
I remembered that box.
Grandpa had spent three weekends making it.
He'd asked me to help choose the lining.
Burgundy velvet.
He'd told me it was for an old friend.
I looked down at my hands.
Even then, he'd been protecting me from disappointment.
Tyler continued.
"After dinner, he asked me to look after Brianna. He said she had a good heart but had spent too much time around people who confused being loved with being given things."
That sounded exactly like Grandpa.
"Did she keep the box?"
Tyler looked embarrassed.
"I found it in a storage closet when I moved my things out."
I swallowed.
"Of course."
He reached into his bag.
"I brought it."
The little walnut jewelry box was scratched along one edge.
I opened it.
The burgundy velvet lining was still perfect.
Inside was a folded birthday note.
Dear Brianna,
You don't have to earn love by being impressive. You were enough the day you were born.
Love, Grandpa.
I stared at the note.
Then I closed the lid.
"Can you give it back to her?"
Tyler nodded.
"I can try."
Before leaving, he handed me one final envelope.
"I found this among the development papers."
It contained several emails exchanged between my father and the property company.
One sentence had been highlighted.
Obtain Emily's acknowledgment before Arthur's condition deteriorates further.
I looked up.
"Tyler?"
"Yeah?"
"Did Brianna ever tell you why she wanted this house so badly?"
He hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Because your parents told her the sale proceeds would cover their business debts."
My stomach dropped.
"What debts?"
Tyler looked at the driveway.
"The kind that don't disappear just because somebody dies."
And suddenly, everything became clear.
May you like
My parents hadn't come home to inherit Grandpa's house.
They had come because they needed it.
