I stared at her.
“But Mason and I have different birthdays.”Plan a Birthday
“I know.”
“How did he explain that?”
“He said the hospital altered the dates.”
I nearly laughed.
“Apparently Tyler’s solution to every inconsistency is that someone altered paperwork.”
Mason raised his hand slightly.
Both of us looked at him.
“Can I say something?”
“Yes.”
“I think Dad lies a lot.”
Vanessa and I looked at each other.
Then I reached across the table and squeezed Mason’s hand.
“I think you may be right.”
—
The attorney my sister found arrived forty minutes later.
Her name
was Priya Shah.
She wore a navy coat, carried a leather briefcase, and had the calm expression of someone who spent her life walking into other people’s disasters.Shop Handbags
She asked Vanessa to take Mason to the nearby bookstore for ten minutes.
I hesitated.
Vanessa noticed.
“I understand.”
Mason looked at me.
“I want to go.”
I studied him.
“You sure?”
“They have airplane books.”
Vanessa gave me her phone.
“Keep it.”
The gesture was simple.
But it told me she understood exactly what trust meant in that moment.
I nodded.
“Ten minutes.”
They walked away together.
Mason stayed a few feet ahead of her.
Vanessa didn’t try to touch him.
I noticed that too.
Priya waited until they disappeared into the bookstore.
Then she opened her briefcase.Shop Handbags
“Your sister forwarded me the documents.”
“How bad is it?”
“The financial side?”
I nodded.
“Potentially very serious.”
She showed me copies of
the home-equity paperwork.
My signature appeared on every page.Learn a Language
It looked almost perfect.
Almost.
But Tyler had made a mistake.
I always connected the C and l in Claire.
The forged signature didn’t.
“Can we stop the loan?”
“It may have already funded.”
My stomach dropped.
“Where did the money go?”
“We’re working on that.”
“Tyler said he could explain.”
“I’m sure he can.”
Her tone told me exactly how much she valued Tyler’s explanations.
Then she took out another page.
“Your sister also found something else.”Plan Family Trips
“What?”
“The birth certificate for Mason you sent her.”
I looked at the document.
I had seen it hundreds of times.
My name.
Daniel’s name.
Mason’s birth date.
“What about it?”
“Your sister called the county records office.”
My chest tightened.
“They have a certificate on file with the same registration number.”
“And?”
“The details don’t match.”
I stared at her.
“What doesn’t
match?”
“The father.”
“Daniel?”
“He isn’t listed on the original record.”
