I was washing a cup when my phone rang.
The number wasn't saved.
I almost ignored it.
Then I answered.
"Hello?"
There was a brief silence.
Then I heard a voice I hadn't heard in months.
"Claire?"
I stopped moving.
It was Shane.
I hadn't spoken to him directly in a long time.
Not since the final paperwork following our divorce.
I held the cup under the tap.
"Yes?"
"It's me."
"I know."
He cleared his throat.
"How are you?"
I looked at the kitchen clock.
I didn't want small talk.
"What do you need, Shane?"
He sighed.
"I heard Mom was staying with you."
"She was."
"Is she okay?"
"She's recovering."
"Good."
Another pause.
Then he asked:
"Did she leave anything at your house?"
I turned off the tap.
I stared at the sink.
That question was too specific.
"Why are you asking?"
He laughed nervously.
"Just checking. She sometimes forgets things."
I dried my hands.
"She took all her belongings when she left."
"Are you sure?"
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he asked whether I had found an old box.
I stopped breathing for a moment.
The shoebox.
He knew about it.
"Who told you that?"
He ignored the question.
"Claire, listen. If Mom left some old papers at your house, please don't do anything with them."
I leaned against the counter.
"What papers?"
He became quiet.
Then he said:
"I don't want you getting involved in something you don't understand."
I almost laughed.
I had already been involved for four weeks.
I had cared for his mother.
I had discovered the hidden cabinet.
I had spoken to a solicitor.
And now Shane was calling to tell me to stay out of something.
"You're a little late for that advice."
He sighed.
"Look, I know things have been complicated."
"Complicated?"
"Mom has been upset about some family documents."
I waited.
He continued.
"She's not always clear about what happened with Dad's estate."
I felt anger rising.
"Your mother seems perfectly clear to me."
"Claire, I'm not attacking her."
"Then what are you doing?"
He hesitated.
"Trying to prevent a misunderstanding."
I looked toward the staircase.
The spare bedroom was directly above me.
Behind its wall sat Arthur's original documents.
"Did you know there was a hidden cabinet in my house?"
Silence.
That silence told me more than his next sentence.
"Where did you hear that?"
I closed my eyes.
"So you did know."
He became defensive.
"I knew Dad had kept some things in that property years ago."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't think it mattered."
I stared at the phone.
"You knew my house might contain documents connected to your family, and you didn't think that mattered?"
"Claire, it was years ago."
"Then why are you calling me now?"
He exhaled sharply.
"Because Mom has been making this situation worse."
I felt a chill.
"What situation?"
"The old agreement."
I didn't answer.
He continued.
"She believes Dad promised her something that was never finalized."
"Have you seen the original papers?"
Another pause.
"No."
"Then how do you know what was finalized?"
He became irritated.
"Because I know what Dad intended."
I remembered Arthur's letter.
Do not allow my children to pressure you into signing anything until you have seen the original agreement.
I looked down at the table.
"Did you show your mother a copy of the agreement?"
He didn't answer directly.
"I showed her what we had."
"What you had?"
"Yes."
I could hear the frustration in his voice.
"Claire, these documents have been discussed for years. Melissa and Daniel know about them too. Everyone has their own understanding."
I asked him whether he had ever seen the original.
He said he hadn't.
Then he asked whether I had opened the sealed envelope.
I felt my heart beat harder.
"How do you know about the envelope?"
He became silent.
I repeated the question.
"Shane, how do you know there was an envelope?"
He finally admitted that his father had mentioned it years earlier.
Arthur had told him there was a letter intended for all three children.
Shane said he believed it had been destroyed.
I looked at the shoebox.
The letter had not been destroyed.
It had been hidden behind the wall.
"Why did you think it was destroyed?"
"Because Mom never found it."
I felt a strange sensation in my chest.
"Your mother has been searching for it?"
"She asked about it a few times."
"And what did you tell her?"
"That it didn't exist anymore."
I closed my eyes.
That was a serious thing to say.
Especially if he had no proof.
"Why would you tell her that?"
He sighed.
"Because I didn't want the family going through the same argument again."
"What argument?"
He didn't answer.
I waited.
Finally, he said:
"Dad made promises to different people. Not everyone remembered them the same way."
I looked at Arthur's original agreement.
"Maybe that's why he kept the original."
Shane became quiet.
Then he asked whether the solicitor had seen the documents.
I didn't answer.
He already knew too much.
"Claire, please listen to me. Don't let Mom convince you that the papers mean something they don't."
I felt my patience disappear.
"Shane, your mother stayed in my house because she said she needed help. I helped her. I didn't ask for anything in return."
"I know."
"But now I've discovered that she was searching for something behind my bedroom wall."
He said nothing.
"And you're calling me because you know about the documents."
"That's not fair."
"What's not fair is asking me to keep quiet about something in my own house."
He sighed.
Then his voice changed.
It became softer.
"Claire, I know I hurt you."
I stared at the kitchen counter.
I hadn't expected him to bring that up.
"I know I made mistakes."
I didn't respond.
He continued.
"I don't want us fighting again."
I almost said that we weren't fighting.
We were divorced.
There was no relationship left to repair.
But I held back.
Instead, I said:
"Then don't ask me to hide documents."
He went quiet.
I told him that a solicitor was examining the original records.
I also told him that I wouldn't hand anything over without proper advice.
He didn't like that.
I could hear it in his voice.
But he didn't argue further.
Before ending the call, he asked me not to tell Melissa and Daniel about the envelope.
I frowned.
"Why?"
"They don't need to know yet."
I looked at the three names written on the front.
"Shane, it's addressed to all three of you."
He sighed.
"I understand."
But he didn't sound as though he did.
The call ended.
I remained in the kitchen.
For several minutes, I couldn't move.
Then my phone rang again.
This time, it was Elora.
I answered.
"Hello?"
"Claire, was that Shane?"
I looked toward the staircase.
"Yes."
She sighed.
"I was afraid he might call you."
"Why?"
"Because he knows about the letter."
I sat down.
"Elora, I need you to tell me something."
"Anything."
"Did you know Shane had seen a copy of the agreement?"
"Yes."
"Did you know he told you the original letter no longer existed?"
She became quiet.
Then she answered.
"Yes."
I looked at the sealed envelope.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want you to think badly of him."
I almost laughed.
After everything that had happened between Shane and me, I couldn't believe she was still trying to protect him from my opinion.
"Elora, I'm not his wife anymore."
"I know."
"And I don't need you to protect his reputation with me."
She began crying softly.
"I know, sweetheart."
I took a breath.
Then I asked the question that had been bothering me since Patricia brought the shoebox.
"Did you come to my house because you believed I was the only person Shane couldn't easily pressure?"
There was a long silence.
Finally, Elora answered.
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
Her honesty hurt.
But it also explained something.
She hadn't chosen me because I was the closest person available.
She had chosen me because she believed I would protect the documents from her children.
I wasn't sure whether that was fair.
I wasn't sure whether I wanted that responsibility.
But I knew I couldn't ignore what Arthur had left behind.
I told Elora I would speak with her again after the solicitor finished examining the papers.
Then I ended the call.
I walked upstairs.
I unlocked the spare bedroom.
The hidden compartment was still open.
The three folders were arranged on the chair.
The sealed envelope remained untouched.
I looked at the names again.
Shane.
Melissa.
Daniel.
For years, I had believed my connection to that family ended with the divorce.
But Arthur's papers had brought all three children back into my life.
And this time, I wasn't going to let anyone decide what I should believe before I had seen the truth for myself.
Click here to continue reading: PART 13: Melissa and Daniel Arrived Demanding Answers, but the Original Agreement Revealed That Their Mother Had Been Hiding More Than One Painful Truth
I Thought My Marriage Was the Only Thing My Ex-Husband’s Family Had Taken From Me, Until His Mother Needed My Help
Part 12 of 20
