PART 2 — Mom’s Secret About Ethan Changed Everything I Thought I Knew
Mom looked at me for several seconds before she finally spoke.
“Ethan isn’t just your best friend.”
I frowned.
“Of course he is.”
She shook her head.
“No. I mean… there’s a reason I’ve always been so protective of this friendship.”
My heart began pounding.
“What are you talking about?”
Mom wiped a tear from her cheek.
“When you were six, Ethan’s mother asked me to keep something private.”
“What?”
“She was afraid people would treat him differently if they knew.”
I stared at her.
“Mom, what did she tell you?”
Mom took a shaky breath.
“Ethan’s father left before he was born.”
I already knew that.
“So?”
“He didn’t leave because Ethan had Down syndrome.”
She paused.
“He left because he wasn’t Ethan’s biological father.”
I froze.
“What?”
Mom reached into her purse and pulled out an old photograph.
It showed a much younger woman standing beside a man I had never seen before.
“That man,” Mom whispered, “is Ethan’s biological father.”
I stared at the photograph.
“What does this have to do with me?”
Mom’s hands began trembling.
“Everything.”
She explained that years ago, before Ethan was born, his mother had been involved in a serious legal dispute involving the man’s family.
There had been money.
Property.
And a secret agreement that was never supposed to become public.
Ethan’s mother had disappeared shortly after his birth.
But one person had known where she went.
My mother.
“You knew Ethan’s mother?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Mom looked down.
“Because I was her attorney.”
I couldn’t speak.
Then she told me something even more shocking.
“Ethan’s father has been looking for him for years.”
I stared at her.
“Why?”
“Because Ethan is the legal heir to something his father left behind.”
“What?”
“A trust.”
Mom explained that the trust had grown enormously over the years.
But Ethan couldn’t access it until he reached adulthood.
And there was one condition attached to it.
He had to remain under the protection of someone his father trusted.
That person was my mother.
I shook my head.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
“It does.”
She looked directly at me.
“That’s why I couldn’t let you go to prom with him without telling you.”
I felt hurt.
“You’ve known all these years?”
“Yes.”
“And you never told me?”
“I promised his mother.”
I stood up.
“Then why are you telling me now?”
Mom’s eyes filled with tears.
“Because Ethan turned eighteen last month.”
I stared at her.
“And the trust became his.”
She handed me another document.
At the bottom was Ethan’s name.
But there was something else.
A second name.
Mine.
I looked at Mom.
“Why is my name on this?”
“Because Ethan’s father included you in the agreement.”
My heart stopped.
“He knew about me?”
“He knew that you were Ethan’s closest friend.”
Mom paused.
“He specifically requested that you remain in Ethan’s life.”
I couldn’t understand any of it.
Then Mom whispered:
“And there’s one more condition.”
“What?”
“If Ethan chooses to marry someday, his spouse becomes the beneficiary of the remaining trust.”
I stared at her.
“So that’s why you said I could only go to prom with him under one condition?”
Mom nodded.
“What condition?”
She took my hands again.
“Promise me you’re going because he’s your best friend.”
I felt tears burning my eyes.
“Not because of the money.”
I almost laughed through my tears.
“Mom, I don’t care about his money.”
“I know.”
She smiled.
“That is exactly why I trust you.”
A knock suddenly came from downstairs.
“Are you ready?” Ethan called.
I looked at Mom.
She nodded.
I opened the bedroom door.
Ethan stood in the hallway holding my corsage.
He smiled.
“You look like a princess.”
I laughed.
“And you look like a dinosaur wearing a suit.”
He grinned.
“I practiced.”
Then he held out his hand.
“Ready?”
I took it.
“Always.”
As we walked downstairs, Mom watched us from the doorway.
But just before we left, she called my name.
I turned around.
Her expression had changed.
“There’s something else you need to know.”
I stopped.
“What?”
Mom looked at Ethan.
Then at me.
“His father isn’t the only person who knows about the trust.”
She lowered her voice.
“Someone has been trying to get Ethan’s inheritance.”
My smile disappeared.
“Who?”
Mom didn’t answer.
Instead, she looked toward the front window.
A black car was parked across the street.
And someone inside was watching us.
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