Chapter 15 - The Day They Turned On Me Again
The first major hearing was scheduled for a Thursday morning.
I wore a navy blazer I'd bought secondhand and polished my shoes in the kitchen before leaving.
June drove down from Austin.
Tessa took the morning off work to sit beside me.
Dad arrived separately with his attorney.
He looked thinner than he had at my apartment, but his shirt was pressed and he met my eyes for the first time in weeks.
Maria entered with Hazel and their lawyer.
Hazel smiled when she saw me.
It was the same smile she'd worn beside my birthday cake.
Her confidence still made my palms sweat.
In court, Daniel argued that the disputed transfer should not be followed by another sale while the underlying claims were examined.
The opposing attorney said the property company had valid title and that I was manufacturing allegations because my father had marital problems.
Then Maria submitted a sworn statement claiming I'd demanded a cash payment to drop the case.
I had never demanded money from her.
The judge asked for evidence supporting the claim.
Maria's lawyer referred to messages he said had been sent from my phone.
My chest tightened as unfamiliar messages appeared on the screen.
The sender name was mine.
The number was not.
Daniel asked that the underlying records be produced before anyone treated screenshots as proof.
The judge made no finding about their authenticity.
But the implication hung in the air like smoke.
Afterward, Maria approached me in the corridor.
"You could've had a quiet life," she said.
I looked at the woman who'd spent fourteen years telling me I was the problem.
"I do have a quiet life. You're the one who keeps showing up in it."
Her smile tightened.
"Your mother was stubborn too."
I felt the familiar surge of anger.
"Don't talk about her."
Maria leaned closer.
"She should've known when to stop digging."
Before I could answer, Daniel called my name.
Maria stepped away.
I told him exactly what she'd said.
Later that evening, the court issued a limited order preserving the status quo while further evidence was considered.
It was a narrow victory, not the end of the lawsuit.
Then Dad called.
May you like
"Zoe, there's something about your mother's final weeks I've never told you."
