Chapter 2: The Name That Was Missing Ashley didn't call again until two days later. When I finally answered, neither of us spoke. All I heard was her breathing. Then, quietly, almost as if she was afraid of the answer, she asked, "What did Frank file?" I looked through the kitchen window at Linda's maple tree. "The paperwork your mother and I planned years ago." Another silence. "I went to the county recorder's office," Ashley whispered. "The clerk said the house isn't yours anymore." "It hasn't been for two years." "What do you mean?" "It belongs to a charitable housing trust." She laughed once. It wasn't amusement. It was disbelief. "No... that's impossible." "It isn't." "You gave it away?" "I kept my promise." "What promise?" "The one I made to your mother." Her breathing became uneven. "You never told me." "You never asked." Another long pause. Then her voice sharpened. "So that's it? You leave me with nothing?" The words settled over me like winter. Nothing. Not Dad. Not Are you okay? Not Why? Just... nothing. "I raised you," I said quietly. "I paid for your college." "I helped with your first apartment." "I was there every time life knocked you down." "You were never left with nothing." She hung up. For the first time in my life... my daughter had measured me entirely in dollars. That evening Trevor called. Unlike Ashley, he didn't bother pretending. "You've ruined their future." "No," I replied. "I ruined your plan." "You manipulated her." "I protected my home." "You embarrassed us." "You embarrassed yourselves." He exhaled sharply. "The wedding is next Saturday." "I know." "You don't have a seat." "I know." His voice turned cold. "Then don't come." The line went dead. I set my phone down. Oddly enough... I felt lighter than I had in weeks. Not because I'd lost an invitation. Because I'd finally stopped begging to be wanted.

2 chapters