Chapter 22: The Inheritance Trap

I didn't want the money.

That was my first reaction.

It was immediate and emotional.

I told Richard exactly that.

“Keep it.”

My mother looked at me but said nothing.

Richard answered carefully.

“It isn't mine to keep.”

“Then give it to Greer.”

“It isn't hers either.”

I stood and walked toward the window.

“I don't want my life connected to your family.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don't.”

My voice sharpened.

“I died because—”

I stopped.

Silence.

My mother stared at me.

Richard said, “Because what?”

“Nothing.”

I closed my eyes.

I had almost said it.

I had almost told them everything.

I changed the sentence.

“My life nearly fell apart because of secrets connected to your family. I don't want another one.”

Richard was quiet.

“Then don't decide tonight.”

Ms. Alvarez agreed.

“An inheritance question is separate from the harassment case. You don't need to accept or reject anything immediately.”

That helped.

I could leave one decision for later.

The next day, police obtained additional records connected to Elaine's investigator.

According to Ramirez, the investigator had been instructed to determine whether my mother was preparing to establish paternity legally.

That explained the courthouse photograph.

Elaine had mistaken routine document requests for preparation for a claim.

When nothing happened, she kept watching.

Then I took medical leave.

Bennett accessed my records.

Information traveled.

Greer saw me at the hospital independently and decided to use the opportunity to humiliate me.

Two separate schemes had collided.

One adult campaign of surveillance.

One teenage act of cruelty.

Then everything spiraled.

That distinction mattered to me.

Greer hadn't been ordered to destroy me.

She had chosen it.

Elaine hadn't created the hospital rumor.

But she had filled Greer's head with fear and resentment for months.

Everyone owned their own part.

The disciplinary hearing took place Friday.

My mother and Ms. Alvarez attended with me.

Greer sat across the room with her attorney and Richard.

Elaine did not attend.

Principal Warren read the findings.

Greer had violated policies on harassment, misuse of student images, retaliation, and coordinated intimidation.

Her admission was considered.

So was the evidence that she had asked Mason to frighten me.

She was suspended for two weeks, removed from student leadership positions, and placed on disciplinary probation for the remainder of the year.

She would also be required to complete an approved restorative conduct program before returning.

Some people would think it was too little.

Others would think it was too much.

I felt strangely calm.

Principal Warren asked whether I wanted to provide a statement.

I stood.

My hands trembled slightly.

“When this started, I thought the only thing that mattered was making everyone believe me.”

I looked at Greer.

“But what happened wasn't only one post. It was hundreds of people deciding they could say anything because someone popular gave them permission.”

Greer lowered her eyes.

“The school also failed at first. I reported harassment and was told not to make trouble.”

Principal Warren looked uncomfortable.

Good.

“I don't want Greer destroyed. I want what happened documented so the next student who reports something doesn't have to prove they're already broken before adults take it seriously.”

My mother began crying silently.

I finished.

“That's all.”

Outside the hearing room, Greer approached only after her attorney received permission.

“Imogen.”

I stopped.

She held an envelope.

“This is an apology. You don't have to read it.”

I didn't take it.

“Not today.”

Her hand dropped.

“Okay.”

I expected anger.

Instead, she nodded.

“I understand.”

That was new.

At home, my mother made applesauce.

The smell filled the apartment.

I remembered the box she had carried to school in my first life.

The one nobody wanted.

I sat at the counter and watched her.

“Mom.”

“Hmm?”

“I almost told Richard.”

She looked over.

“Told him what?”

I stared at the steam rising from the pot.

I was tired of carrying two lives alone.

“Something impossible.”

She turned off the stove.

“Try me.”

My heart began pounding.

I told her.

Not all at once.

Slowly.

The first life.

The rumor.

The school gate.

The pills.

My death.

Then hers.

My mother didn't interrupt.

When I finished, she was crying.

“You think I...”

She couldn't say it.

I nodded.

“I remember finding out afterward.”

She came around the counter and held me.

“Whether it was a dream, another life, or something neither of us can explain, listen to me.”

She pulled back and held my face.

“I am here.”

I sobbed.

“You're here.”

“And so are you.”

For the first time since rebirth, someone else knew.

The secret that had been crushing my chest finally belonged to two people.

Then my mother's expression changed.

“Imogen, if what you remember is real, there's something we need to ask.”

“What?”

“What happened to Elaine and Richard after we died?”

I froze.

I had never stayed long enough to find out.