I hung up and immediately got a text from Sasha. «Answer your phone, you selfish bitch. Mom’s having a panic attack, and Dad might be having a heart attack. This is your fault.»
«Classy as always,» Kinley observed.
«Wait, there’s more.» Another text from Sasha. «Xander’s family is telling everyone we’re criminals. His mom called me a gold digger and said I’m lucky they don’t press charges. I can’t show my face anywhere because of what you did.»
«She’s still making herself the victim.»
«Of course she is. Look at this email.» I opened a message from someone named Amara at First National Bank. «Ms. Gill, I hope you don’t mind me reaching out directly. I’m the loan officer who’s been handling your parents’ account. I wanted to give you a heads-up that they’ve been in here three times this week trying to get emergency loans using your apartment as collateral. When we told them the property was tied up in legal proceedings, your father became… aggressive. Security had to escort him out yesterday.»
«Dad got kicked out of the bank.»
«I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but they also tried to take out a loan against their car and were denied due to their debt-to-income ratio. Without the anonymous payments they were receiving, they’re completely insolvent. I thought you should know in case they try to contact you for financial assistance.»
«They’re desperate. Completely broke. And now everyone knows it.»
My laptop chimed with a video call from an unknown number. I almost declined it, then recognized the background. It was Destiny, the wedding planner.
«I have to take this,» I said and answered. Destiny’s face appeared on the screen. She looked exhausted, her usually perfect makeup smudged.
«Maya, I’m so sorry to bother you, but I need to ask you something.»
«Go ahead.»
«Did your family really forge your signature to sell your apartment?»
«Yes.»
«And you’ve been secretly paying their bills for years?»
«Yes.»
Destiny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. «I’m ruined. Completely ruined. Seventeen vendors are suing me for breach of contract because I guaranteed payment for services I can’t deliver. My business insurance won’t cover fraud-related losses.»
«I’m sorry that happened to you.»
«Your sister keeps calling me, screaming that this is all your fault and demanding I fix it somehow. She wants me to eat the costs and provide services for free to make up for the ‘confusion.'»
«That sounds like Sasha.»
«Maya, I have to ask. Is there any way you could help? Not for your family, but for me? I’m going to lose everything because I trusted them.»
I looked at Kinley, who shook her head slightly. «Destiny, I understand you’re in a difficult position, but my family committed fraud. I can’t enable that by covering their debts.»
«I know. I just… I had to ask.»
«Have you considered suing them for damages?»
«With what money? They’re broke, and my lawyer says you can’t get blood from a stone.»
After she hung up, Kinley leaned back in her chair. «That poor woman. She’s collateral damage.»
«But she chose to work with my family without doing proper due diligence.»
«Maya, your phone’s ringing again.» This time, it was a number I didn’t recognize with a local area code.
«Hello?»
«Is this Maya? This is Detective Rodriguez with the Fraud Division. We’ve received a complaint about forged documents related to a property sale. We’d like to speak with you when you return to the country.»
I put him on speaker. «What kind of complaint?»
«Your parents filed a report claiming you’re harassing them financially and that the apartment sale was legitimate. But the bank’s investigation suggests otherwise.»
«The sale was fraudulent. I have documentation proving it.»
«We’d like to review that documentation. When will you be back in town?»
«Next week.»
«Perfect. We’ll be in touch.»
After he hung up, Kinley whistled. «They actually called the police on you? They’re trying to flip the narrative. Make me the criminal.»
«That’s not going to work. The evidence is too clear.»
My phone buzzed with another text from Sasha. «The police are involved now because of your psycho revenge plot. You’ve destroyed our entire family. I hope you’re happy.»
I showed Kinley the message. «She still doesn’t get it.»
«She never will. In her mind, she’s always the victim. Maya, are you ready for what comes next? This is about to get very public and very ugly.»
I looked out at the Singapore skyline, thinking about the family I’d once loved, the sister I’d once protected, the parents I’d once respected. «Let it get ugly. They made their choice when they decided to steal from me. And if they end up in jail, then they’ll have plenty of time to think about what they did.»
My phone rang again. This time I didn’t even look at who was calling. They can keep calling. I’m done being their safety net.
«Maya?»
«Yeah?»
«For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing.»
«Thanks. But right or wrong, there’s no going back now.» The phone kept ringing. I turned it off completely. Some bridges are meant to burn.
The ambush came at 2 a.m. Singapore time. My hotel phone rang, jolting me awake. The caller ID showed an international number I didn’t recognize.
«Hello?»
«Maya. Thank God.» Dad’s voice was hoarse, desperate. «We’ve been trying to reach you for days.»
«I know.»
«We need to talk, all of us, as a family. Put me on speaker.»
I heard shuffling, then Mom’s voice, thick with tears. «Maya, sweetheart, please come home. We can work this out.»
«Can we? Because last I checked, you committed fraud.»
«Don’t say that word,» Dad snapped. «We’re family.»
«Families don’t commit fraud against each other. Families don’t steal each other’s homes either.»
Sasha’s voice cut through, shrill and furious. «You ruined my life! My wedding is destroyed, Xander won’t even look at me, and everyone thinks we’re criminals!»
«You are criminals.»
«We needed the money, Maya! You have so much, and you never share it with us!»
«I’ve been sharing it with you for four years. $2,800 a month for your mortgage, plus credit cards, car payments, and your college loans.»
«That was you?» Mom’s voice was barely a whisper.
«Meridian Holdings. My company. I’ve been keeping you afloat while you treated me like an ATM.»
«Why didn’t you tell us?» Dad asked.
«Because I knew you’d take it for granted. Just like you took everything else.»
«Maya, please,» Mom begged. «We’re going to lose the house. The bank is starting foreclosure proceedings.»
«Good.»
«How can you say that?» Sasha screamed. «This is our family home!»
«The family home you were willing to sacrifice my apartment for.»
«That’s different.»
«How is it different, Sasha?»
«Because… because you don’t even live there! You’re always traveling for work!»
«So that gave you the right to steal it?»
«We weren’t stealing! We were using family resources for a family celebration!»
«By forging my signature.»
«Maya,» Dad’s voice was pleading now. «We made a mistake. A big mistake. But we can fix this. You can stop the foreclosure. Help us pay back the vendors.»
«No.»
«What do you mean, ‘no’?»
«I mean no. I’m not fixing this. I’m not paying for Sasha’s wedding. I’m not saving your house. I’m done.»
«You can’t be serious,» Mom said.
«I’ve never been more serious in my life.»
«Maya, please,» Sasha’s voice cracked. «I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry we sold your apartment. But you can buy another one. You can’t replace my wedding day.»
«Watch me not care.»
«You’re being cruel.»
«I’m being honest. For the first time in years, I’m being completely honest with all of you.»
«What’s that supposed to mean?» Dad asked.
«It means I’m tired of pretending we’re a loving family when you only love what I can do for you. I’m tired of being the responsible one while you treat me like a bank. I’m tired of watching you spoil Sasha while taking everything I give you for granted.»
«That’s not true,» Mom protested.
«Isn’t it? When’s the last time any of you called me just to see how I was doing? When’s the last time you asked about my life, my work, my happiness?»
Silence.
«When’s the last time you thanked me for anything? For the money? For the support? For always being there when you needed me?»
More silence.
«You can’t answer because it never happened. I was never your daughter. I was your solution to every financial problem.»
«Maya, that’s not fair,» Dad said.
«What’s not fair is selling someone’s home behind their back. What’s not fair is forging legal documents. What’s not fair is spending four years taking anonymous payments and never once wondering if you should be more grateful.»
«We didn’t know they were from you.»
«But you knew someone was helping you. Someone was keeping you from losing everything. And you never once thought maybe you should live within your means instead of relying on charity.»
«It wasn’t charity,» Mom said weakly.
«It was exactly charity. And you repaid it by stealing from me.»
«Maya, please.» Sasha was crying now. «I’ll do anything. I’ll pay you back. I’ll…»
«With what money? You don’t have a job. You’ve never had a job. You’re twenty-seven years old, and you’ve never supported yourself for a single day.»
«That’s not my fault!»
«Whose fault is it?»
«Mom and Dad always said I didn’t need to work because I was going to marry well.»
«And how did that work out for you?»
«Maya, stop,» Dad said. «You’re being unnecessarily cruel.»
«Am I? Or am I finally telling the truth about this family?»
«What truth?» Mom asked.
«That you raised one daughter to be responsible and the other to be a parasite. That you’ve been bleeding me dry for years while convincing yourselves you deserved it. That when I needed you to respect the one thing that was truly mine, you sold it without a second thought.»
«We needed the money for Sasha’s wedding.»
«Sasha needed a wedding she could afford, not a $400,000 fantasy funded by fraud.»
«It wasn’t fraud!» Sasha screamed.
«Then why are the police investigating it?»
«Because you called them!»
«I didn’t call anyone. The bank called them when they discovered forged documents.»
«Maya,» Dad’s voice was broken now. «What do you want from us? What will it take to fix this?»
«Nothing. There’s nothing you can do to fix this, Dad. You can’t un-forge my signature. You can’t un-sell my apartment. You can’t undo four years of taking me for granted.»
«So that’s it?» Mom asked. «You’re just going to abandon your family?»
«You abandoned me the moment you decided to steal from me.»
«We’re still your family.»
«No, you’re not. Family doesn’t treat each other the way you’ve treated me.»
«Maya, please…»
