But the more she looked, the clearer it became: someone had gone through a lot of trouble to make her appear guilty.
Emma tugged on her sleeve. “We can’t let her call the police.”
Laura steadied herself. “No. We need proof. We need to understand what she’s planning and why.”
She moved to her laptop, opening her bank accounts. Her heart raced as she found more unauthorized transactions—exactly matching the printouts. Someone had gained access. Someone close.
Emma, still frightened, suddenly remembered something else. “Mom… when Aunt Caroline was here, she sounded like she wasn’t alone in this. She said, ‘I’ve handled everything.’ She must be working with somebody.”
Laura turned to her daughter, fear tightening her voice.
“Then we don’t have much time.”
The room fell silent.
Until Emma whispered:
“Mom… what if she comes back?”
Laura didn’t waste a second. She double-checked the locks, closed the blinds, and lowered her voice. “Emma, sweetheart, I need you to stay close to me, okay? We’re going to figure this out.”
Emma nodded, fighting back tears.
Laura called her bank’s fraud department immediately, reporting the unauthorized transactions. As she spoke, her voice remained steady, but her hands trembled with adrenaline. She explained the forged documents, the suspicious evidence, and her belief that someone—likely her sister—was framing her. The bank representative promised to freeze all accounts and escalate the case.
