When I spotted my brother driving around town in a glossy red convertible, something inside me immediately told me things weren’t adding up. I had no idea that flashy car would end up revealing a betrayal I never imagined, or that it was tied to a plan Gran had quietly arranged long before she passed.
I’m Skylar. I’m twenty-six now, and I moved out of state four years ago. Honestly, leaving was the smartest thing I ever did. I needed distance from my family and all the hurt that came with them.
It never felt like I belonged with them anyway. My parents always adored my older brother, Jaxon. Calling him the favorite doesn’t even scratch the surface. I spent my childhood feeling like a background character in my own home. Gran used to tease that I was the “spare,” but she always said it with a tenderness that made it feel less like an insult and more like a secret joke between us.
That was one of the reasons I left. That, and Maddox — my boyfriend. He was the one who convinced me it was finally time to put myself first, to start building a life where I wasn’t someone’s afterthought.
We loaded our little car and drove to the city, leaving behind my parents, Jaxon, and all the things I wanted to forget.
“I just couldn’t stay there anymore, Maddox,” I’d told him during dinner one night. I remember the way he smiled at me, reaching across the table to take my hand.
“You don’t have to explain again, Sky,” he said. “You made the right choice. You deserve more than being the backup option.”
Even after moving away, I barely spoke to my family. Calls faded. Texts became rare, and honestly, no one seemed to care. My parents certainly didn’t. It was like I simply slipped out of their world. The only one who continued reaching out was Gran.
She always made me feel seen. When I was a kid, she’d sneak me chocolate when my mother wasn’t looking or call late at night just to hear about my day.
She didn’t care if I had nothing interesting to say. She didn’t care if my life felt messy or boring. She just wanted to hear my voice.
Then one day, I found out she had died — accidentally. Not a call. Not a text. Not even a voicemail. I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a post from an old family friend: her picture, a date, and a “Rest in Peace” message.
I froze. My chest tightened until it hurt. I stared at my phone, waiting for something to click. It never did.
My hands were shaking as I set the phone down and whispered, “Gran’s gone.”
Maddox looked up from the couch. “What? What do you mean she’s gone?”
“She passed away. And no one bothered to tell me.” The tears burned, but the pain was mixed with this deep, stinging disbelief. “How could they keep that from me?”
Maddox wrapped me in a hug, but it still didn’t make sense. Why hadn’t anyone called? Not even Jaxon.
I booked a flight immediately.
I didn’t care how much it cost. I needed to visit her grave. I needed to say goodbye on my own terms.
The next morning, I walked through my hometown — a place I had spent years running from. Everything looked the same, except for one thing.
I blinked hard. “What…?”
Near the cemetery entrance, I saw Jaxon cruising by in a bright red convertible.
Jaxon? The man who was barely surviving on a cashier’s salary? The brother who could never save money? He was behind the wheel of something worth more than anything he’d ever owned in his life.
My stomach twisted. Something was definitely wrong.
Later, I found myself standing at Gran’s grave. The trees rustled quietly above me, and the earth looked freshly turned. The sadness hit all over again. I didn’t get to tell her goodbye. I didn’t get to tell her how much she meant to me.
The fact that I learned about her passing through Facebook made it hurt even more.
As I knelt there, I heard someone approach. I looked up and saw Mr. Hayes — Gran’s closest friend. He’d always been by her side, helping her with errands, checking on her. His expression was heavy as he stepped toward me.
“Skylar, I’m truly sorry,” he said softly. “Your grandmother was a remarkable woman.”
I swallowed hard. “She really was. I just wish I had more time with her.”
He nodded slowly. Then, after a quiet moment, he turned to me and asked, “Did you receive the twenty thousand dollars she left you?”
I stared at him. “The… what?”
Mr. Hayes frowned. “She mentioned in her will that she set aside twenty thousand just for you. I assumed you knew.”
And suddenly everything made sense — especially the red convertible.
I felt my heart sink. All the simmering anger inside me flared. “No,” I said, standing quickly. “I didn’t know.”
Mr. Hayes looked genuinely upset. “Oh, Skylar… I’m so sorry.”
But I barely heard him. I was already headed to my car, my pulse pounding in my ears.
Jaxon had stolen it. The money Gran left me. The money from the only person who truly cared.
When I reached his trailer, I was ready to tear into him.
But what I saw stopped me.
The red convertible sat wrecked in the driveway. The front end was crushed, the windshield shattered, the tires ruined. It looked like it had been through hell.
And there in the doorway stood Jaxon — leaning on crutches, his leg in a cast, his face bruised and bandaged.
Karma had found him before I ever could.
My anger faded into shock. “Jaxon… what happened?”
He shifted unsteadily, eyes avoiding mine. “It’s nothing.”
“Nothing?” I gestured toward the totaled car. “That doesn’t look like nothing. And why did you take Gran’s money?”
He grimaced, knowing he was cornered. “I didn’t mean for it to get like this, Sky. I… I was just going to borrow it. I thought I’d pay you back. Then I saw that car, and…”
“Borrow it?” I scoffed. “You can’t just ‘borrow’ twenty thousand dollars that wasn’t even meant for you. Gran left that money to me, and you stole it. And now look at you.”
He opened his mouth, but I cut him off.
“You’ve always taken everything. Mom and Dad’s attention, all the priority, everything. But this? This was different. Gran meant that money for me, and you didn’t even hesitate to take it.”
He stared at the ground. “I messed up, okay? I thought—”
“You thought what? That I’d never find out? That I didn’t deserve it?”
He didn’t answer.
The silence between us grew heavier. I was about to walk away when my phone buzzed. It was Mr. Ramsey, Gran’s lawyer.
“Mr. Ramsey?” I answered, keeping my eyes on Jaxon.
“Skylar, I reviewed your grandmother’s will,” he said gently. “She anticipated this might happen.”
My brows knit together. “What do you mean?”
“She knew Jaxon might try something like this. So she prepared for it. The twenty thousand was just a small portion of her estate. The rest — her home, her savings, her investments — they’re all yours.”
I stood frozen. “All of it?”
“Yes,” he said. “She made it very clear. She wanted you to be secure and cared for.”
Tears welled in my eyes — but not from grief. From love. Gran had always seen me. Even after death, she was protecting me.
I steadied myself, turning to Jaxon. “I hope that car was worth it.”
“Skylar, I—”
I raised a hand. “Save it. I’m done.”
I walked away, leaving him in his doorway — injured, broke, and facing the fallout of his own choices.
For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like the forgotten one.
Gran had made sure of that.