Only one other person had ever been given her login credentials. Her younger sister Madison Holt, who had moved into the guest room two weeks earlier after another chaotic breakup that left her nowhere else to go. Regina had told herself that family meant trust, and when Madison asked for banking access in case of emergency, Regina had ignored the hesitation that flickered in her mind and handed over the password with a tired smile.
Now she understood what the emergency had been.
She walked down the hallway. The guest room door stood open. The bed was stripped. The closet was empty. A faint square on the wall showed where Madison’s poster had been. On the nightstand lay a folded piece of paper. Regina opened it slowly.
I am sorry. I had no choice.
Five words that weighed heavier than all the missing money.
Regina sank onto the edge of the bed, breathing shallowly, trying to keep control because she knew that Piper would be home from school soon and her daughter deserved calm more than chaos. When the front door opened and Piper’s footsteps padded into the hallway, Regina forced herself to stand and smooth her hair.