—Did she know I was going to need that money?

-Yeah.

—And did you know who would manage it?

My father lowered his gaze.

-Yeah.

That answer made me turn around.

—¿Elena?

Roberto remained silent for too long.

Then her phone vibrated.

He looked at the screen and his expression changed.

It was a message from Elena.

My father didn’t try to hide it from me.

The message read:

If Sofia finds out who signed the authorization to withdraw the money, you won’t just lose your marriage. You’ll lose your daughter forever.

Below was a photograph of a bank document.

And on the line intended for the beneficiary’s signature appeared my mother’s name.

Chapter 3: The Impossible Signature

I didn’t immediately recognize the signature.

The photograph was slightly blurry, taken with a phone and sent in haste. However, I could read my mother’s printed name, Gabriela Morales, next to a number that made my mouth go dry.

Two hundred and forty thousand dollars.

Below was a signature.

“What does this mean?” I asked.

My father took a breath, but he didn’t take the phone out of my hands.

—It means we need to go back home.

—No. It means that someone withdrew two hundred and forty thousand dollars from an account that my mom left for me.

Roberto ran a hand over his beard.

—Sofia, I don’t want you to draw conclusions before knowing all the facts.

—Then give me the facts.

The boutique employee discreetly approached us to ask if we needed a different size. My father thanked her and asked for a few minutes.

I kept looking at the screen.

The signature looked authentic at first glance. It had the same slant as the one on my mom’s birthday cards, the same elongated stroke in the last letter.

But there was something strange.

My mother always wrote her full name when signing important documents. In that photograph, the signature ended abruptly, as if someone had tried to copy it without knowing the final movement of her hand.

“When was the money withdrawn?” I asked.

—Almost four years ago.

—I was fourteen.

-Yeah.

—And you didn’t tell me anything?

Roberto closed his eyes.

—No.

I took off the new dress I was wearing over my clothes and went back to the fitting room. I needed a minute without her presence, without her incomplete answers, and without the feeling that my entire childhood was being reshaped.

By the time she left, she had already made a decision.

“I’m graduating today,” I told her. “I’m going to smile for the pictures and get my diploma. But after that, I want to see every document related to my mom’s money.”

My father nodded.

-OK.

—And I don’t want you to tell me you did it for me if you can’t prove it.

That time he did not try to defend himself.

We bought the ivory dress, some simple shoes, and a small bag to hold my things. While the saleswoman wrapped the clothes, Roberto walked away to make a call.

I heard him say:

—I need you to review Gabriela’s file. Yes, the original. Not a copy.

He paused.

—And don’t tell Elena.

When he finished, he put the phone in his pocket.

“Who did you call?” I asked.

—To my lawyer.

-Because?

—Because there’s something I should have investigated years ago.

He didn’t explain any further.

The walk back home was different. There was no longer silence due to a lack of words, but because we both knew that any response could destroy something we were still trying to save.

Upon entering, we found two open suitcases in the middle of the room.

Elena was folding clothes furiously. Valentina paced back and forth, talking on the phone and complaining that she couldn’t leave like that.

“No, Camila, you’re not going to believe what my dad just did,” she said. “He’s having a midlife crisis.”

Upon seeing us, the call ended.

—Have you already bought the princess dress?

I didn’t answer.

I went straight up to my bedroom to change and get my things ready for graduation.

When I returned to the hallway, Elena was waiting for me by the stairs.

—I need to talk to you.

—If it’s about money, I want my dad and his lawyer present.

His face hardened.

—You have no idea what you’re causing.

—Then explain it to me.

Elena glanced around the room to check that Roberto wasn’t nearby.

“Your father made mistakes after your mother died. He was desperate, and I tried to help him. That house doesn’t maintain itself, Sofia. There were bills, taxes, medical expenses, and many other things.”

—Did my mom leave two hundred and forty thousand dollars to pay for the house?

—I didn’t say that.

—So, what was it used for?