Chapter 5 - The Woman They Should Never Have Taken
The note led us to a roadside diner seventy miles away.
Nobody was inside.
We found another clue in the bathroom mirror.
A lipstick message.
Barn.
Ethan stared at it.
“They want you to believe this is a game.”
“No,” I said.
“They want me to panic.”
“It's working.”
We returned to the farm.
The red barn was empty.
But beneath the trapdoor was a fresh footprint.
We followed a trail through the fields.
At the edge of the property stood a small abandoned church.
The basement door was open.
Inside, Ruth was tied to a chair.
Richard Sloan stood behind her.
Melissa was beside him.
Paige was there too.
My sister looked terrified.
“Paige.”
She started crying.
“Nora, I'm sorry.”
Melissa smiled.
“This is the family reunion we've been waiting for.”
I looked at Ruth.
“Are you hurt?”
“Nothing serious.”
Richard pointed his gun toward me.
“You found the trust.”
“Yes.”
“You found the documents.”
“Yes.”
“You found the money.”
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“Then you know what happens next.”
“What?”
“You sign everything over.”
I laughed.
“No.”
Melissa's face hardened.
“You're still stubborn.”
“I'm not signing anything.”
Richard raised the gun.
Ethan stepped in front of me.
“Try touching her.”
Richard laughed.
“You're a celebrity.”
Ethan didn't move.
“That's right.”
“You think that makes you untouchable?”
“No.”
Ethan's voice was calm.
“It makes you stupid for doing this on camera.”
Richard froze.
I looked around.
Three tiny red lights blinked.
Cameras.
Ethan had activated his phone's remote streaming system.
Everything was broadcasting.
Richard lowered his gun.
Melissa looked furious.
“You wouldn't.”
“Already did.”
Police sirens sounded.
Richard grabbed Paige.
Melissa ran toward the back entrance.
I chased her.
She stopped suddenly.
“I never hated you.”
Her voice was shaking.
“I hated what you represented.”
“What did I represent?”
“Everything I didn't have.”
She began crying.
“Your mother's money.”
“Your father's trust.”
“You.”
I stared at her.
“You married Dad for money.”
“No.”
“For what then?”
“My brother was dying.”
I froze.
“My brother?”
“Richard.”
I stared.
Richard Sloan was her brother.
The whole operation had been family.
Not just fraud.
A plan.
They had manipulated Dad.
Used Paige.
Used my mother's trust.
Used me.
Melissa whispered:
“Your mother ruined our lives.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“She refused to let you steal.”
Melissa's face changed.
“You don't know what she did.”
“She protected me.”
“And John Carter abandoned her.”
I stared.
Melissa laughed bitterly.
“Your mother and John were going to leave together.”
“What?”
“He was going to take Ruth with him.”
Ruth shouted from the basement.
“That's a lie.”
Melissa looked at her.
“You stayed because you were afraid.”
Ruth's voice trembled.
“I stayed because I loved my husband.”
Melissa stared.
“And that was your mistake.”
Police arrived.
Richard was arrested.
Melissa surrendered moments later.
Paige was taken to a private room for questioning.
Dad arrived hours later.
He looked broken.
I asked him one question.
“Did you really believe throwing me out would save Paige?”
“Yes.”
“Did it?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
I turned away.
“I can't forgive you today.”
“I understand.”
Maybe someday.
But not yet.
Ruth took my hand.
Ethan stood beside us.
For the first time, I realized something.
I had arrived at Ruth's house as a woman who believed she had lost everything.
Now I had a family that had chosen me.
Not because of money.
May you like
Not because of blood.
Because they wanted me there.
