Attached discreetly inside the lining was a small metal capsule.

The doctor frowned.

“Mrs. Teresa, would you mind removing that before we continue the examination?”

Mom immediately covered it with her hand.

Her entire expression changed.

“Mom?”

She looked at me.

Then toward the door.

“Not yet.”

“What is it?”

Her eyes filled with tears.

Before she could answer, the door opened.

Richard walked in.

“Maya, what is going on?”

I stared at him.

“How did you know where we were?”

He ignored the question.

Then his eyes landed on the small metal capsule in Mom’s hand.

His face went completely pale.

That was the moment everything changed.

Because Richard didn’t look confused.

He looked like he recognized it.

Mom slowly lifted her eyes toward him.

“I told you eventually Maya would start asking questions.”

PART 2

Richard didn’t ask what the capsule was.

He didn’t ask whether Mom was feeling better.

He simply stared at it.

Then he said,

“Put that away.”

The doctor looked between us.

“Sir, this is a private medical appointment.”

Richard forced a smile.

“She’s family.”

“No,” I said.

I stood beside my mother.

“She is my family.”

Richard looked at me.

“Maya, can we speak outside?”

“No.”

His expression hardened.

“You don’t understand what you’re doing.”

I stared at him.

“I think I’m beginning to.”

The doctor stepped toward the door.

“I’m going to give you some privacy.”

Mom immediately shook her head.

“Please stay.”

The doctor stopped.

Mom carefully removed the metal capsule from the lining of her support wrap.

Then she placed it in my hand.

“What is this?”

“A memory card is inside.”

Richard’s jaw tightened.

“Teresa.”

Mom ignored him.

“Four months ago, I saw Richard meeting someone near the wholesale market downtown.”

Richard laughed.

“This is ridiculous.”

“I recorded part of their conversation.”

My stomach tightened.

“Recorded what?”

Mom looked at me.

“A conversation about financial documents.”

Richard shook his head.

“She misunderstood something.”

“I didn’t.”

Mom continued.

“He was talking about paperwork carrying your name. Documents you hadn’t mentioned to me.”

I looked at Richard.

“What documents?”

He said nothing.

Mom continued.

“I took the memory card from my old phone and put it inside this capsule.”

“Why hide it?”

“Because later that evening, Richard came back to my house asking questions about what I had seen.”

Richard stepped forward.

“I came to check on her.”

Mom gave him a tired look.

“You searched my desk.”

I turned toward him.

“Is that true?”

“No.”

Mom looked at me.

“I was afraid that if I accused him without proof, he would tell you I was confused.”

My chest tightened.

“Why didn’t you come to me?”

Her voice became softer.

“Because every time I asked whether you were happy, you told me everything was fine.”

She squeezed my hand.

“But a mother notices when her daughter stops sounding like herself.”

I looked down.