Chapter 3

The next morning, Mike and Tiffany arrived.

Mike looked uncomfortable, avoiding Carol's gaze. Tiffany, however, looked triumphant.

"Good morning," Carol said, her voice neutral. Frank stood beside her, a silent, imposing presence.

"Let's not pretend this is a social call, Carol," Tiffany said, stepping forward.

She held up a tablet. "Mike borrowed this. A shared family tablet, I believe."

Carol recognized it as one they kept for guests, or when Chloe visited.

"And what about it?" Carol asked.

"I found some very interesting emails," Tiffany said, a smirk playing on her lips. "Between you and someone named 'Izzy'."

Mike shifted his feet, looking miserable.

"She calls you 'Mom'," Tiffany continued, her voice dripping with insinuation. "Lots of loving words. And she's sending you a 'special birthday surprise'."

Carol felt a chill. Izzy.

Isabella Ramirez. A brilliant young woman they had quietly sponsored, mentored, loved like a daughter for over a decade. Her parents had been deported when Izzy was just a teen. The local community outreach program had connected them. Izzy was family. A fact unknown to Mike and Tiffany.

"What are you implying, Tiffany?" Frank asked, his voice dangerously low.

"Implying?" Tiffany laughed, a harsh sound. "It's pretty clear. Carol has a secret daughter. She's been funneling your money, Frank, and Mike's inheritance, to this Izzy for years!"

Carol gasped.

"We want the $8,000 for the fridge," Tiffany declared. "Consider it hush money. Or compensation for Mike being cheated all these years."

Carol looked at Mike. He stood there, silent, his eyes downcast. His silent agreement was a blow.

The shock was too much.

Carol felt her chest tighten, her breath catch. The room started to spin.

"Carol!" Frank yelled, rushing to her side as she swayed.

She heard Tiffany say, "Oh, please. Don't be so dramatic."

Then, darkness.