Part 2

At the police station, Lily was wrapped in a heated blanket before anyone even started asking questions. A young officer handed me tea. I held the cup with both hands because I was shaking so hard the liquid trembled.

Grandpa sat beside me silently, his cane resting across his knees.

Then he placed a leather folder onto the desk.

“My granddaughter has been financially abused, denied access to property legally purchased in her name, and possibly defrauded of trust income,” he said calmly. “I want a report filed tonight.”

The officer looked at me kindly. “Ma’am, do you have proof?”

Grandpa gave him a single look.

“I have a bank.”

Within thirty minutes, a detective arrived. Within forty, Grandpa’s private attorney joined us through video call. Within an hour, bank statements filled the screen.

The officer leaned closer.

My name appeared on an account I had never seen before.

Monthly deposits: twenty thousand dollars.

Medical fund deposits.

Housing allowance.

Vehicle insurance.

Infant care trust.

Every dollar funded by Grandpa.

Every dollar withdrawn.

Not by me.

By my mother, my father, and Vanessa.

The detective’s face hardened. “How long has this been happening?”

Grandpa’s attorney answered quietly. “Three years.”

The air left my lungs.

Three years of being told I was selfish. Lazy. Expensive. Ungrateful.

Three years of skipping doctor appointments because Mom claimed my insurance had expired.

Three years of watching Vanessa post photos from luxury resorts while I survived on instant noodles and apologized for needing prenatal vitamins.

The detective clicked open another document.

A signature appeared on a loan form.

Mine.

Except I had never signed it.

Grandpa looked at me carefully. “Claire, did you authorize a second mortgage against the condo I purchased for you?”

I stared at him blankly. “What condo?”

The room went completely silent.

Even the officer stopped typing.

Grandpa slowly closed his eyes once. When he opened them again, they were steel.

“That condo is in your name. Purchased outright. Your parents told me you were living there.”

I laughed once, broken and hollow. “I’ve been sleeping in Vanessa’s old storage room.”

The detective muttered under his breath, “Dear God.”

Grandpa stood immediately. “I want warrants pursued. Fraud. Forgery. Identity theft. Child endangerment. Theft of property. Anything the law permits.”

His attorney nodded through the screen. “Emergency civil filings are already being prepared. The accounts will be frozen by morning.”

That was when my mother called.

Her name flashed across Grandpa’s phone.

He answered on speaker.

“Dad,” she said sweetly. “Where are you? Claire ran off with the baby. She’s unstable.”

Grandpa never looked away from me.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. We’re worried she might try manipulating you. She’s always been dramatic.”

Vanessa’s voice drifted through the background. “Tell him she stole my coat too.”

I looked down at the coat wrapped around me.

My coat.

Grandpa’s voice remained dangerously soft.

“Come to the station.”

My mother paused. “Station?”

“Yes,” he said calmly. “Bring the Mercedes.”