Chapter 1 - The Hidden Ledger
Grandpa places a worn leather book on the bedside table. He tells me he has been tracking my mother's finances for years. I open the book and see nine years of bank statements. My four thousand five hundred dollars never went toward her rent. Every single penny was funneled into an offshore trust fund. The name on the trust account makes my blood run cold. It belongs to my sister, Claire. My mother had been stealing my money to fund Claire's luxurious lifestyle while pretending to be broke. My chest tightens with a pain far worse than my broken ribs. Grandpa places a heavy hand on my trembling shoulder. "She didn't go on a cruise, Meredith," he whispers. My phone suddenly buzzes with a notification from my security system at home. I click the app and stare at the live camera feed of my driveway. My mother's car is parked outside my house. She is using a key I never gave her to unlock my front door. And the man standing right beside her is the exact person who caused my car accident.
