“It was temporary.”
Dad turned toward her.
“What?”
Mom closed her eyes.
“Robert, don’t.”
“You told me those accounts came from the platform problem.”
“I said it was complicated.”
“You told me someone else had used her information.”
I looked at Dad.
“You didn’t know?”
He met my eyes.
“I knew about the trust transfers. I did not know Diane opened accounts in your name.”
Mom hit her palm against the table.
“Stop pretending you were innocent. Your company needed cash.”
Dad stared at her.
She pointed toward him.
“You were weeks from missing payroll. Tessa’s investors had pulled back. We had obligations, and Mara had excellent credit and money sitting untouched.”
Untouched.
Grandma’s money.
My future.
My name.
All reduced to available resources.
Mom continued.
“It was supposed to last six months. Then Mara noticed the accounts, everything was flagged, and the situation became impossible.”
Dad’s voice dropped.
“So you did it.”
Mom looked at me.
“I did what I had to do for the family.”
That answered the last question I had carried for two years.
She hadn’t forced me out because she believed I was irresponsible.
She needed me away from the records.
Mom sat down.
“We were going to replace everything.”
“You opened accounts in my name.”
“It was manageable.”
“You claimed to be me.”
“Temporarily.”
Dad dragged both hands over his face.
Tessa sat on the edge of an armchair.
“Mom told me Mara had agreed to move the trust money.”
“You signed as a witness.”
“I thought it confirmed something you’d already agreed to.”
“You told me you knew nothing.”
“I was scared.”
“So was I.”
She looked down.
The doorbell rang.
Nina stood outside.
I opened the door and let her in.
Dad frowned.