was something in her voice that made both of us stop.
She unlocked the drawer.
Inside were old folders, envelopes, bank statements, and a checkbook.
Nothing looked particularly dramatic.
Mom pulled out one folder.
“Here.”
I opened it.
The first document showed a bank transfer from fourteen years earlier.
The amount immediately caught my attention.
$35,000.
I looked at Mom.
“Was this for Melissa’s house?”
Mom nodded.
I already knew she had helped Melissa and her husband with their down payment.
I just hadn’t realized how much.
Then I
