Chapter Seven — Confrontations And Secrets
741 Words
The folder felt heavier than it should have.
Mia hadn’t moved from the doorway for a long time.
Even after Lucas left.
Even after the sound of his car disappeared.
Her fingers tightened around the papers.
Her father’s name stared back at her.
Numbers she didn’t understand.
Signatures she wished she could deny.
“No…”
The word slipped out quietly.
Like saying it enough times might make it true.
“Mia?”
Lily’s voice came softly from behind her.
Mia blinked, quickly closing the folder.
“Go back inside,” she said gently. “It’s nothing.”
But it wasn’t nothing.
And they both knew it.
Lily hesitated.
Then nodded slowly and walked away.
Mia waited until she disappeared into the room before moving.
Her steps were slow.
Measured.
But her mind was racing.
Daniel.
If anyone knew anything…
it was him.
She found him in the back of the house, standing near the sink, staring out the window like he had been doing that a lot lately.
Thinking.
Avoiding.
“Daniel.”
He turned slightly.
“Yeah?”
Mia didn’t ease into it.
Didn’t soften her tone.
She didn’t have the energy for that.
“Why didn’t you tell me Dad was in debt?”
Silence.
Not confusion.
Not surprise.
Just… silence.
And that was all the answer she needed.
Mia let out a slow breath, her chest tightening.
“You knew.”
Daniel looked away.
“How much?” she asked.
Her voice was steady.
But only just.
Daniel rubbed his face tiredly.
“It’s complicated.”
Mia laughed.
A quiet, disbelieving sound.
“It’s always complicated with you,” she said. “Just answer me.”
Another pause.
Then—
“A lot.”
The words dropped heavily between them.
Mia felt something sink inside her.
“Define a lot.”
Daniel hesitated.
And that hesitation said everything.
“Mia…”
“No,” she cut in, shaking her head. “Don’t do that. Don’t try to soften it. Just tell me.”
Daniel finally looked at her.
Really looked this time.
And whatever was in his eyes…
it made her stomach twist.
“More than we can handle.”
The room went quiet.
Mia swallowed hard.
Her grip on the folder tightened again.
“And you were just going to keep that from me?” she asked.
“I was trying to figure it out,” he said.
“By yourself?”
“Yes.”
Mia shook her head slowly.
“That’s not how this works anymore, Daniel.”
Her voice wasn’t angry.
That was the problem.
It was tired.
“We don’t have parents anymore,” she continued softly. “You don’t get to decide what I should or shouldn’t know.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“I was protecting you.”
“From what?” she asked.
“The truth.”
Mia let out a breath.
Slow.
Heavy.
“You mean from reality.”
Silence stretched between them again.
Then Mia stepped forward, placing the folder on the table between them.
“He came here,” she said.
Daniel’s head snapped up slightly.
“Who?”
“The one we saw at the funeral.”
Recognition flickered across his face.
“He said Dad owed his company,” Mia continued. “He had documents. Proof.”
Daniel’s expression darkened.
“So it’s true,” she said quietly.
He didn’t deny it.
Mia closed her eyes briefly.
Just for a second.
As if maybe—
just maybe—
this would all disappear when she opened them again.
But it didn’t.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.
Daniel didn’t answer.
And that silence…
that silence hurt more than anything else.
Mia opened her eyes again, looking at him differently now.
Not just as her brother.
But as someone who was standing between her…
and the truth.
“Daniel.”
Her voice was softer now.
But sharper.
“What else did Dad do?”
For a moment—
just a moment—
Daniel looked like he might finally say something.
Then he looked away.
And that was it.
Mia nodded slowly.
Not in understanding.
But in realization.
“Okay,” she said quietly.
And for the first time since everything began—
she stopped asking.
Because now she knew one thing for certain.
There was more.
And whatever it was…
they weren’t ready to tell her.
But she would find out.
One way or another.
- Writer
