Chapter 2 #2
"The new treatment the doctor wants to try costs twenty thousand dollars." I'd called the hospital after I'd left, wanting to find out how much it was. There was no way I could get another loan to cover it, I'd already maxed myself out, as had my mother.
"Jesus."
"Yeah." I leaned back against the couch cushion, my gaze falling to the burn stain on the wooden coffee table from the time we'd tried to do s'mores inside.
Ivy and I had wound up burning the table, and my mother had scolded us but then helped us make them anyway.
Her gentleness, her way of handling us both, especially how she took Ivy in like she was her own, made me smile even now.
"I don't know what to do, Ivy. Mom's getting worse, and I'm running out of options."
"What about those siblings? They're loaded, right? Maybe they'd help if they knew about their half-sister?"
I snorted. "Right. 'Hi, I'm the living proof your dad cheated on your mom. Mind sharing your inheritance?'"
"When you put it that way..." Ivy paused. "But seriously, they might not be assholes. Maybe they'd want to know they have a sister."
"Or maybe they'd slam the door in my face." I closed my eyes, the heaviness of all the revelations seeping into my bones. "Besides, they're in Ironstone. That's hours away."
"So? Take a few days off. Go up there and feel it out."
"And say what exactly?"
"I don't know." She yawned. "But twenty thousand isn't appearing out of thin air, and your mom needs that treatment."
The practical truth of her words sank in. What choice did I really have?
"Maybe," I conceded. "But even if I went there, I can't just walk up and announce myself. They'd think I was some con artist looking for a handout."
"So don't announce yourself right away," Ivy suggested. "Get to know them first. See what kind of people they are before dropping the family bomb."
I frowned. "That feels dishonest."
"More dishonest than your father hiding your existence from them for twenty-seven years?"
She had a point.
"Look," Ivy continued, her voice softening. "I'm not saying become a professional stalker. Just... find a way to cross paths naturally. Get a sense of who they are. Maybe there's a way to approach this that doesn't end with doors slammed in faces."
I thought about the photos, of Grayson's confident appearance, Meredith's carefree shopping. The third man, Leo Donati, with his dark eyes that made me uneasy even from a photo. They existed in a different world than mine.
"Trent mentioned Meredith works at some place called Donati Enterprises," I said slowly. "Maybe I could look into that."
"That's the spirit. Use that accounting brain of yours."
"It's not that simple. I can't just abandon Mom to go chasing after rich half-siblings who might hate me on sight. I don't know how long she…" I couldn't even finish the sentence.
"Elena." Ivy's voice turned serious. "Your mom needs that treatment, so the sooner you do this, the better.
She's been hounding you to go back to the city for your work and leave her to deal with this.
She won't be upset, besides, you can video call her or drive back.
Sure, it's a long drive, but you're running low on options here.
If I could sell a kidney to save her, I would. "
The truth of her words hit deep. "I know you would. Thank you."
Ivy had been helping out with bills as well, having taken us on as her family when we were young, since her own parents were useless and she wanted nothing to do with them.
Considering the one time I'd been to the drug den she'd called home as a kid, I didn't blame her.
My mother had all but adopted her when we were kids, and she spent most of her life under my roof and being like a sister to me than with her own family.
"So what's the plan?"
I stared out the window, knowing she was right in regards to having next to no options. But I needed to do this right. "I need more information first. About them, about Anthony's death. Trent said something felt off about it."
"Off how?"
"He didn't specify. Just inconsistencies in the paperwork."
"Hmm." Ivy was quiet for a moment. "All the more reason to check them out before revealing yourself. If something sketchy happened..."
Exactly why I had to play it safe. If Anthony's death had been because of something other than a normal accident, then I was putting myself at risk as well.
Especially if they knew I needed money and that was why I was getting close to them.
I needed to keep my identity hidden if I did go ahead with this.
"I'll think about it," I promised. "Thanks for listening."
"Anytime. And Elena? Whatever you decide, I've got your back."
After we hung up, I pulled a throw over me, turning the TV on to break the suffocating silence around me. The idea of approaching my half-siblings under false pretenses made my stomach knot. I'd always prided myself on honesty, on facing problems head-on.
But my mother was dying. And somewhere in Ironstone, the children Anthony Cassaro had chosen over us were living lives of privilege we couldn't imagine.
I'd need to get close enough to understand who they were before revealing our connection. After all, they owed me nothing—legally or otherwise. Any help would have to come from goodwill, not obligation.
I swallowed the anger that quelled at their perfect lives. I needed to keep my head. This was for my mom, not some revenge on siblings who likely didn't know I existed.
But what if they had known? And opted to not really search for me, to keep the inheritance to themselves. I knew he'd made decent money, considering the amount on the check I'd seen once that he'd sent my mom for my tenth birthday that he couldn't make.
And if Anthony's death wasn't as straightforward as a car accident? Well, that was another question entirely.
I reached for the manila envelope I'd left on the coffee table. I pulled out the photos again, studying the faces of my half-siblings more carefully this time.
What kind of people were they? Would they help if they knew about me? Or would they see me as a threat to their perfect lives? Did they actually know about me and didn't care?
Only one way to find out.
I reached for my laptop and opened a new search.
Donati Enterprises, Ironstone.
If I was going to do this, I needed a plan. A way in that wouldn't immediately reveal my hand. Something that would let me observe Grayson and Meredith Cassaro up close before deciding whether to tell them who I really was.
For Mom's sake, I had to try.