Chapter 2 - The Box My Father Hid
I barely slept that night.
At six in the morning, I was already dressed.
Dany was still asleep.
I arranged for my neighbor to watch him for a few hours.
Then I drove to Aunt Colleen's house.
She opened the door before I knocked.
She looked nervous.
“Come in.”
I stepped inside.
“Where's the box?”
She locked the door behind me.
“Upstairs.”
“Why did Dad give it to you?”
She hesitated.
“Because he knew your mother would destroy it.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
Colleen looked at me.
“Because it tells the truth.”
We climbed the stairs.
She opened a small bedroom.
An old wooden box sat on the bed.
I recognized the handwriting immediately.
My father's.
I reached toward it.
Colleen stopped me.
“Before you open it, you need to understand something.”
“What?”
“Your father loved you.”
I frowned.
“I know.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You don't.”
I stared at her.
“What are you saying?”
She sat down.
“Your father tried to protect you.”
“From Mom?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because your mother wanted you gone.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
Colleen opened the box.
Inside were documents.
Photographs.
Letters.
Medical records.
And one envelope with my name.
I picked it up.
My hands shook.
I opened it.
Lucy,
If you're reading this, I wasn't able to tell you everything myself.
I stopped.
My eyes filled with tears.
You have always been my daughter.
I frowned.
Why would he write that?
Then I read the next sentence.
But I know your mother has made you question whether you belong in this family.
I looked at Colleen.
She was crying.
“Keep reading.”
I continued.
When you were born, your mother wanted to give you up.
My breath caught.
“No.”
Colleen nodded.
“She did.”
I kept reading.
She said she couldn't love another child.
My hands trembled.
“Another child?”
Colleen looked away.
I read the next page.
Chelsea was born two years before you.
I stared at the letter.
I knew that.
But then:
Your mother had already decided Chelsea would be her only child.
I looked up.
“Why did she keep me?”
Colleen whispered:
“Your father refused to let her abandon you.”
I looked back at the letter.
I fought for you.
I told your mother you were my daughter and I would raise you myself if I had to.
She agreed.
But there was more.
I didn't know how deeply her resentment would grow.
My eyes burned.
I kept reading.
She loves Chelsea differently.
That sentence broke me.
Not because I hadn't known.
Because my father had known too.
He had watched it happen.
And he had tried to protect me.
The box contained more.
A birth certificate.
My original hospital bracelet.
A photograph of my father holding me as a newborn.
And another document.
I picked it up.
It was a trust agreement.
My father had created a small financial trust in my name.
I stared at the amount.
It was worth more than I expected.
“What's this?”
Colleen answered:
“Your father started it when you were born.”
“Why?”
“To make sure you could always stand on your own.”
I felt tears running down my face.
I had spent my entire life believing my father was distant.
Maybe he wasn't.
Maybe he had been fighting a battle I couldn't see.
Then I found another envelope.
It was addressed to Colleen.
I opened it.
If Helen ever tries to control Lucy's inheritance, give her the documents.
I froze.
“My inheritance?”
Colleen nodded.
“There is more.”
She handed me another folder.
Inside was a property deed.
My father's name was on it.
Then mine.
“What is this?”
“Your father owned a piece of land before he married your mother.”
I stared.
“What does that have to do with me?”
“He left it to you.”
“How much is it worth?”
Colleen hesitated.
“Several million dollars.”
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
My mother had always treated me like a burden.
But what if she knew about this?
What if she had always known?
I looked at Colleen.
“Does Mom know?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Your father told her.”
My heart sank.
“Why didn't she tell me?”
Colleen's eyes filled with tears.
“Because Chelsea knows about it.”
I stared at her.
“Chelsea knows?”
“She found out two years ago.”
I couldn't breathe.
Then my phone rang.
Mom.
I answered.
“What?”
Her voice was furious.
“Where are you?”
“Why?”
“Your father needs you.”
I looked at the box.
Then the documents.
“I can't come today.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have something to do.”
She screamed.
“You are abandoning your father!”
I closed my eyes.
“No.”
I said quietly:
“I am finally taking care of myself.”
I hung up.
Colleen stared at me.
“You're ready now.”
“For what?”
She pointed to the final envelope.
“You haven't opened the most important letter.”
I looked at it.
There was one sentence written across the front.
Lucy, there is something about your birth that your mother never wanted you to know.
May you like
I opened it.
And everything I thought I knew about my family changed.
