Chapter 6: The Letter My Mother Never Wanted Me to Find
Three months after winning the Young American Designers Competition, I received a letter that made me question everything I thought I knew about my mother's final years.
It arrived on a rainy Tuesday morning at Harrington School of Design.
The envelope was cream-colored, slightly yellowed around the edges, and addressed in handwriting I recognized immediately.
My mother's.
I stood outside the student design studio, holding it with both hands.
For a moment, the hallway disappeared.
I could almost hear her voice telling me not to rush when opening something important.
I found an empty classroom, sat beside the window, and carefully broke the seal.
Inside was a photograph of my mother standing in front of a small fashion studio.
Beside her was Evelyn Hart.
On the back, my mother had written:
For the day Nia finally discovers that some stories are bigger than the people who tried to bury them.
My stomach tightened.
There was another envelope inside.
This one contained a letter.
My darling Nia,
If Evelyn has given you this, then you've found your way into the world I once dreamed of sharing with you.
There is something I never told you.
The Silver Moon collection wasn't simply stolen. Someone deliberately destroyed the evidence that could have restored my name.
And the person responsible wasn't working alone.
I stopped reading.
My fingers trembled.
The letter continued.
I trusted someone I shouldn't have trusted. Someone who knew about my work, my family, and the things I was afraid of losing.
I thought I had escaped that person when I left New York.
I was wrong.
I read the final paragraph twice.
If you ever discover the name behind the missing collection, don't confront that person alone. Find Evelyn. She knows what happened to the original contract.
And sweetheart, remember this.
You were never the reason I stopped designing.
You were the reason I kept going.
I pressed the letter against my chest.
For years, I had wondered whether my mother's dreams had died because of me.
Now she was telling me they hadn't.
But someone else had helped destroy them.
I immediately called Evelyn.
She answered on the second ring.
“Nia?””
“I found another letter.””
Her voice changed.
“What does it say?””
I read the final paragraph aloud.
When I finished, Evelyn was quiet.
Then she whispered, “I was afraid this day would come.””
“What contract?””
“Your mother and I signed an agreement with an investor before the Silver Moon collection was stolen. It protected our original designs and established who owned the intellectual property.””
“Who was the investor?””
“Richard Hale.””
I frowned.
“But Richard helped me win.””
“He did. And he has spent years trying to make things right.””
“Then what's wrong?””
Evelyn exhaled.
“Your mother believed someone altered the original contract after she left New York.””
I sat forward.
“Who?””
“Her former business partner.””
I felt a chill.
“Vanessa?””
“No. Vanessa was the assistant who stole the designs. The business partner was someone else.””
“Who?””
Evelyn hesitated.
“Your mother's brother.””
I stared at the letter.
I had never known my mother had a brother.
Not once had Dad mentioned him.
“His name was Daniel Carter,” Evelyn continued.
“He handled the financial side of the studio. After Lily left, he disappeared with several business records.””
“Why would he do that?””
“I don't know. But your mother believed he had been paid to change the contract.””
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unfamiliar number appeared.
Your mother wasn't the only Carter who knew how to keep secrets.
I read it again.
Then another message arrived.
Ask your father why he stopped speaking to his brother-in-law.
My blood ran cold.
“Evelyn, I think someone knows I'm reading the letter.””
“Don't reply. Save everything.””
“I need to talk to Dad.””
“Not yet, Nia. Let me investigate first.””
But I couldn't wait.
That evening, I called my father.
He answered from home.
“Hi, sweetheart. How's school?””
“Dad, who is Daniel Carter?””
Silence.
A long, uncomfortable silence.
Then he said, “Where did you hear that name?””
“From Evelyn.””
He sighed.
“Your mother's brother.””
“Why didn't you ever tell me about him?””
“Because he and your mother had a terrible falling-out.””
“Over the Silver Moon collection?””
Another silence.
Then Dad asked, “Did Evelyn tell you about the contract?””
I closed my eyes.
“Yes.””
He lowered his voice.
“Nia, there are things about your mother's family that I should have told you years ago.””
“Then tell me now.””
He hesitated.
“Daniel came to our house shortly before your mother died.””
My heart began pounding.
“What?””
“He wanted money. He said he had information about the missing designs.””
“Did you give it to him?””
“No. Your mother refused.””
“Why?””
“Because he claimed he could recover the original contract, but he wanted ownership of part of her future collection in exchange.””
I stared at the wall.
“And you didn't think I should know?””
“You were eight years old.””
“What happened after that?””
Dad's voice became quieter.
“He threatened to expose something about your mother.””
“What?””
“I never found out. Lily asked me to stay out of it.””
I gripped the phone.
“Did he come back?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Two weeks before she died.””
My throat tightened.
“Did Mom see him?””
“Yes.””
I couldn't breathe properly.
“What did he want?””
Dad was silent for several seconds.
Then he said something that changed everything.
“He wanted you.””
I froze.
“What do you mean?””
“He told your mother that if she didn't sign the agreement, he would take you away and raise you himself.””
I stood up so quickly my chair fell backward.
“Why would he say that?””
“Because he believed your mother wasn't capable of raising you while fighting the legal battle.””
“That makes no sense.””
“I know.””
“Did Mom tell anyone?””
“She contacted a lawyer. But before anything could happen, she became ill.””
I looked at the letter.
My mother had written that she never stopped designing because of me.
But what if the threat against me had been part of the reason she disappeared from the fashion world?
“Dad, did you ever see that contract?””
“No.””
“Do you know where it is?””
He hesitated.
“Your mother kept a locked metal case in her studio.””
“Where is it?””
“I thought Vanessa had thrown it away.””
My stomach dropped.
“Why would Vanessa have it?””
Dad didn't answer.
Then I heard a sound behind him.
A door opening.
Vanessa's voice.
“Marcus, who are you talking to?””
Dad lowered his voice.
“Nia, I have to go.””
“Dad, wait—”
The call disconnected.
I stared at my phone.
A few seconds later, another message appeared.
This time, the sender included a photograph.
It showed a metal case sitting on a wooden desk.
And beside it was a handwritten note.
Lily's daughter has finally started asking the right questions.
May you like
At the bottom of the photograph was a name.
*Daniel Carter.*
