Chapter 8 - THE REVELATION
Months passed.
The trial was a quiet affair,
as Daniel took a plea deal to avoid a longer sentence.
He was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
Celeste had disappeared,
taking the small amount of money I had given her for her testimony and starting over somewhere else.
I was sitting in my mother's study one evening,
going through her old journals.
I found a small,
locked drawer at the bottom of her desk.
The key was hidden inside the Star of the North’s velvet box.
I opened it and found a single,
handwritten note.
"Maya,"
it read.
"If you are reading this,
it means the drought has come."
"I knew Daniel was a risk,
but I also knew you needed to learn how to fight for yourself."
"There is a second trust,
one he never knew about."
"It's in your name alone,
set up the day you were born."
"Use it to build the world you want to see."
"Love,
Mother."
I looked at the bank details attached to the note.
It was a staggering amount.
She had kept it hidden,
even from me,
to ensure it could never be touched by a man like Daniel.
She hadn't just prepared for my heartbreak.
She had prepared for my rebirth.
I felt a wave of love so strong it brought tears to my eyes.
She had never doubted me.
She had just been waiting for me to stop doubting myself.
I stood up and looked out at the Bennett estate.
The gardens were in full bloom,
a riot of color in the moonlight.
I had everything I needed.
I had the legacy.
May you like
I had the truth.
And I had the future.
