investment to ensure that Rich never leaves you."
"What? What’s that supposed to mean?"
"This is where things get a bit complicated. I don't understand it all because your dad never mentioned any of this to me. When your dad found out he had cancer, he reached out to Rich to make a contract that included a very large investment in Rich's firm. It came with the agreement that Rich would never leave you in return. I suppose your dad knew that you never wanted to get married to Rich, so he felt that it would be easy for him to leave you, if he ever chose to. I know your dad was fond of the fact that Rich was so successful and wealthy. And I think he wanted to make sure that you were well taken care of after he passed away."
"So I was a business deal?"
"I truly don’t think that your dad saw it that way. I believe he loved you so much that he wanted to make sure you were taken care of, even after he was no longer here to do so himself."
"How do you even know this to be true?" I ask in disbelief.
"I have the contract right here," she replies, tapping on the stack of folders. She pulls out a folder with the word, Europe, written in red marker on the top. I look at her questioningly. "Apparently they referred to this deal as ‘Europe.’ I don't understand why. I'm sure there's more to it than I’ve been able to piece together. The parts that I know are in these folders."
"So, Roger must know about all of this?"
"I spoke with Roger after I found these documents and he admitted that he knew about some of it, but he never chose to question your dad for more information. Roger did what he was told to do. You can't pass blame on him."
"Did you know that Rich wa s— well actually, is cheating on me?" My mom's face becomes expressionless and Travis' mouth drops open.
"Rich?" my mom asks in shock.
"Yeah, he's cheating on me. He's been cheating on me. I caught him with Laura's sister last night. But I found a prepaid cell phone of his that had text messages with another woman from last year as well."
"I had no idea. I thought you guys were happy together. Despite spending a lot of time at work lately, I never thought he would do that to you." I glance over at Travis, whose expression has changed to anger. He looks down at his lap and shakes his head in disgust. "Is that why you didn't come on the cruise?" my mom questions.
"No. We didn't go because Rich said he got the time wrong. But I'm convinced he didn't want to go."
My mom shakes her head. "Did you ever find the letter I gave you?"
"No," I say, narrowing my eyes. "What was in that envelope, anyway?"
"It was a copy of the contract with a note telling you that we need to talk. I couldn't figure out the best way to tell you. I was afraid how you would react. But I knew I had to tell you regardless."
"Why would you choose to give it to me on my birthday?"
"Well, when I invited Rich to your birthday party he immediately declined, saying that he was too busy. Lately he’s been distant from us―from you―and he never makes himself available for family gatherings anymore. I asked if he could try to come, and he said he was certain he couldn't, but that he was going to make it up to you by taking you to the island and buying you a car. But, what he isn’t aware of is that I know he was not the one to pay for your new car or even your day trip to Catalina. These documents, right here, are quite detailed, Amy. You need to look at them. I couldn't allow myself to let this go any longer without you knowing. And with me being sick―" she says, sighing. "I know that I may not have picked the best day to initiate the conversation, but there really is no good day to find out all of this."
We all sit in silence for a while, before my mom gets up from her chair, announcing that she’s getting us something to drink. She disappears inside the house. “And I didn't want to talk about our past with you," I say, smirking. Travis gazes at me and smiles―a beautiful magnificent
"What? What’s that supposed to mean?"
"This is where things get a bit complicated. I don't understand it all because your dad never mentioned any of this to me. When your dad found out he had cancer, he reached out to Rich to make a contract that included a very large investment in Rich's firm. It came with the agreement that Rich would never leave you in return. I suppose your dad knew that you never wanted to get married to Rich, so he felt that it would be easy for him to leave you, if he ever chose to. I know your dad was fond of the fact that Rich was so successful and wealthy. And I think he wanted to make sure that you were well taken care of after he passed away."
"So I was a business deal?"
"I truly don’t think that your dad saw it that way. I believe he loved you so much that he wanted to make sure you were taken care of, even after he was no longer here to do so himself."
"How do you even know this to be true?" I ask in disbelief.
"I have the contract right here," she replies, tapping on the stack of folders. She pulls out a folder with the word, Europe, written in red marker on the top. I look at her questioningly. "Apparently they referred to this deal as ‘Europe.’ I don't understand why. I'm sure there's more to it than I’ve been able to piece together. The parts that I know are in these folders."
"So, Roger must know about all of this?"
"I spoke with Roger after I found these documents and he admitted that he knew about some of it, but he never chose to question your dad for more information. Roger did what he was told to do. You can't pass blame on him."
"Did you know that Rich wa s— well actually, is cheating on me?" My mom's face becomes expressionless and Travis' mouth drops open.
"Rich?" my mom asks in shock.
"Yeah, he's cheating on me. He's been cheating on me. I caught him with Laura's sister last night. But I found a prepaid cell phone of his that had text messages with another woman from last year as well."
"I had no idea. I thought you guys were happy together. Despite spending a lot of time at work lately, I never thought he would do that to you." I glance over at Travis, whose expression has changed to anger. He looks down at his lap and shakes his head in disgust. "Is that why you didn't come on the cruise?" my mom questions.
"No. We didn't go because Rich said he got the time wrong. But I'm convinced he didn't want to go."
My mom shakes her head. "Did you ever find the letter I gave you?"
"No," I say, narrowing my eyes. "What was in that envelope, anyway?"
"It was a copy of the contract with a note telling you that we need to talk. I couldn't figure out the best way to tell you. I was afraid how you would react. But I knew I had to tell you regardless."
"Why would you choose to give it to me on my birthday?"
"Well, when I invited Rich to your birthday party he immediately declined, saying that he was too busy. Lately he’s been distant from us―from you―and he never makes himself available for family gatherings anymore. I asked if he could try to come, and he said he was certain he couldn't, but that he was going to make it up to you by taking you to the island and buying you a car. But, what he isn’t aware of is that I know he was not the one to pay for your new car or even your day trip to Catalina. These documents, right here, are quite detailed, Amy. You need to look at them. I couldn't allow myself to let this go any longer without you knowing. And with me being sick―" she says, sighing. "I know that I may not have picked the best day to initiate the conversation, but there really is no good day to find out all of this."
We all sit in silence for a while, before my mom gets up from her chair, announcing that she’s getting us something to drink. She disappears inside the house. “And I didn't want to talk about our past with you," I say, smirking. Travis gazes at me and smiles―a beautiful magnificent
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