Part 3: The Fortune They Tried to Steal

When I woke after surgery, dawn was just beginning to brighten the sky beyond my hospital window. My face was wrapped in heavy bandages, every movement sent pain through my cheek and eye, and for a few confused seconds I couldn’t remember where I was. Then Wyatt leaned over the bed, offered me a careful sip of water, and smiled with visible relief.

“Hey.”

“The surgery went well.”

“The doctors still believe your vision can recover.”

I finally allowed myself to breathe again. Before I could ask another question, Wyatt’s expression darkened, telling me the night had continued long after I lost consciousness.

“Your father has been charged.”

“Your mother’s under arrest.”

“And Melanie…”

“She ran.”

I closed my eyes because the answer didn’t surprise me. Melanie had spent her entire life escaping responsibility by becoming whatever people wanted to believe, and disappearing was simply the next lie she hoped would save her.

Not long afterward, Detective Beckett returned with Assistant District Attorney Lena Morris carrying a thick file recovered during the search of my parents’ home. They explained that investigators had uncovered far more than evidence of the assault.

“We found forged documents.”

“How many?”

“Twenty-three.”

Inside the folders were fake bank authorizations, fraudulent trust transfers, forged property records, and legal papers supposedly signed by me. One document even claimed I had voluntarily surrendered my inheritance, while another stated I planned to leave the country permanently.

“I never signed any of this.”

“We know.”

Lena carefully removed another document from the file.