Chapter 5
I barely slept that night.
Arthur remained in the hospital.
Mom stayed beside him.
And I sat at our kitchen table surrounded by college letters, scholarship forms, and old emails.
I kept thinking about the document Raymond asked me to sign.
He brought it during one of his rare visits.
He said he wanted to contribute to my education.
I remembered how excited I felt.
For once, my biological father seemed interested in my future.
He placed several papers on the table.
"Just sign here, sweetheart."
I asked what they were.
He smiled.
"College savings paperwork."
I trusted him.
Because I wanted so badly to believe he had changed.
Now I couldn't remember whether I received a copy.
I searched my drawers.
Nothing.
I checked my email.
Nothing.
Then I opened our family filing cabinet.
At the back was a folder labeled COLLEGE.
Inside were old acceptance letters, financial aid forms, and scholarship applications.
But the document from Raymond wasn't there.
I stared at the empty folder.
My chest tightened.
Then I found something else.
A copy of my student information form.
The email address listed for scholarship correspondence wasn't mine.
It was similar.
But one letter was different.
I leaned closer.
My actual email ended in my full name.
This one used an abbreviated version.
I had never created it.
I took a photograph.
Then I called Mrs. Thompson.
She answered early the next morning.
"Maya?"
"I found something."
I explained the incorrect email.
She sounded concerned.
"Bring it to my office."
I arrived at school an hour later.
Without my graduation gown, the building felt strange.
Only yesterday, I had walked across the stage believing my biggest problem was whether Raymond would show up.
Now I was investigating financial paperwork while my stepfather lay in a hospital bed.
Mrs. Thompson met me near the counseling office.
She reviewed the form.
Then she frowned.
"This isn't the email address I've used to contact you."
I nodded.
"I know."
She opened her computer.
After checking the school's records, she looked more concerned.
"Your scholarship contact information was changed in February."
My heart pounded.
"Who changed it?"
She checked the notes.
"The request was submitted through a parent contact form."
I stared at her.
"Which parent?"
She hesitated.
"Raymond Carter."
I felt cold.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I whispered, "Why would he do that?"
Mrs. Thompson shook her head.
"I don't know."
She continued.
"But we need to contact the foundation and clarify the withdrawal."
I nodded.
She called while I sat beside her desk.
The foundation representative confirmed that a message had been received declining further consideration for the scholarship.
It came from the incorrect email address.
The representative explained that the application had been marked withdrawn.
I began crying.
"I never sent that message."
Mrs. Thompson placed a hand on my shoulder.
The representative sounded sympathetic.
She said the foundation would review the records and determine whether an administrative remedy was possible.
After the call, I stared at my hands.
"Raymond did this."
Mrs. Thompson spoke carefully.
"We have evidence that he requested a contact change, but we still need to establish who sent the withdrawal."
I nodded.
She was right.
I didn't want to accuse someone without proof.
Even someone who had disappointed me repeatedly.
But the pieces frightened me.
Raymond had asked about scholarships.
He had brought paperwork.
He had requested changes to my contact information.
And I had lost the chance to receive significant financial assistance.
I looked at Mrs. Thompson.
"What should I do?"
"First, gather every document you have."
I nodded.
"Then speak with your mother and consider getting legal advice."
I swallowed.
"And college?"
She smiled gently.
"We'll explore every legitimate option."
I felt tears rising.
"Thank you."
She took my hand.
"Maya, you've earned your opportunities."
I looked at her.
"Don't let someone else's actions make you forget that."
When I returned home, Mom was waiting.
Arthur's condition had stabilized, and his doctors were completing further tests.
He was resting.
I explained everything.
Mom's face changed.
"Raymond changed your email?"
I nodded.
She sat down slowly.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Then I told her about the document I signed.
Mom looked frightened.
"What document?"
"He said it was for a college savings account."
She closed her eyes.
"Oh, Maya."
I began crying.
"I thought he was finally helping me."
Mom wrapped her arms around me.
"I know."
I shook my head.
"I feel so stupid."
She pulled back.
"Don't say that."
"But I signed something without understanding it."
"You trusted someone who should have protected you."
I wiped my cheeks.
She continued.
"That was a mistake we can learn from. It doesn't make you stupid."
I nodded.
Then she reached for her phone.
"We're finding an attorney."
That afternoon, we met with family attorney Danielle Brooks.
She listened carefully.
She reviewed the scholarship records.
Then she asked about the document Raymond had presented.
"Do you remember whether it included any account numbers?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Did he ask for identification?"
I nodded.
"He took a photograph of my driver's license."
Danielle's expression became serious.
"Did he explain why?"
"He said the savings account needed identity verification."
She wrote something down.
"Have you ever received statements from that account?"
"No."
She nodded.
"We should determine whether an account actually exists and what authority, if any, was granted."
I swallowed.
"Can we find out?"
"Yes, but we'll need to proceed carefully."
Mom looked worried.
"What if he used her information?"
Danielle answered calmly.
"Then we can address that based on the evidence."
She also recommended checking my credit reports and preserving communications with Raymond.
I felt sick.
I had trusted him.
And now I was being told to investigate whether he had used my identity.
When the meeting ended, Danielle asked me something unexpected.
"Maya, why did Raymond suddenly become involved in your college plans?"
I thought about it.
Then I remembered.
He called me in January.
Right after I received my first acceptance letter.
Before that, we spoke only occasionally.
But once he learned I had been accepted to Briarwood, he began asking questions.
Scholarships.
Financial aid.
Tuition.
Savings accounts.
He seemed unusually interested.
I looked at Danielle.
"I think he wanted access to money."
She nodded.
"That's one possibility."
I swallowed.
"But we need proof."
She agreed.
That evening, I visited Arthur.
He looked stronger.
His doctors had completed several tests and were discussing treatment and follow-up plans.
When he saw me, he smiled.
"There's my graduate."
My eyes filled.
I sat beside him.
"Dad."
He reached for my hand.
"What's wrong?"
I hesitated.
I didn't want to burden him.
But then I remembered his words.
Parents make choices for their children.
And I realized hiding the truth wouldn't protect him.
It would only keep him from understanding what was happening.
I explained the scholarship.
The email change.
The suspicious document.
Arthur listened quietly.
When I finished, his expression became serious.
"Raymond asked you to sign something?"
I nodded.
He looked toward Mom.
She lowered her eyes.
Arthur sighed.
"Maya, we need to find out what happened."
I squeezed his hand.
"We're working on it."
He nodded.
Then I told him about the missing scholarship.
His face changed.
"Twenty thousand dollars?"
I nodded.
"Potentially. It wasn't guaranteed."
Arthur stared at the ceiling.
For a moment, he didn't speak.
Then he whispered, "If someone deliberately interfered with your education..."
His voice hardened.
I had rarely seen Arthur angry.
He was usually calm.
Patient.
Careful.
But now his jaw tightened.
I touched his arm.
"Dad, please don't worry."
He looked at me.
"I'm not worried about the money."
I frowned.
"What?"
His eyes filled.
"I'm worried about you."
I began crying.
He continued.
"Because you wanted your biological father to love you so badly that you trusted him with things he hadn't earned the right to handle."
The truth hurt.
But it was gentle.
I looked down.
Arthur squeezed my hand.
"Sweetheart, wanting your father to love you was never wrong."
I cried harder.
He continued.
"But you don't have to keep giving someone chances to hurt you."
I nodded.
Then I leaned forward and hugged him.
"I love you, Dad."
He kissed my forehead.
"I love you too."
For a moment, everything felt safe.
Then Mom's phone rang.
She answered.
Her expression changed.
"Yes, this is Nia Williams."
She listened.
Then looked at me.
"Maya, it's Danielle."
My stomach tightened.
Mom put the call on speaker.
Danielle's voice sounded serious.
"I've obtained preliminary information concerning the account Raymond described."
I held my breath.
"Was it real?"
"An account exists."
I looked at Mom.
My heart pounded.
"Is there money in it?"
Danielle hesitated.
"That's what we need to discuss."
I swallowed.
Then she said, "Maya, the account appears to have been opened using your personal information."
My hands began shaking.
"And?"
She took a breath.
"There are transactions we need to investigate."
I stared at Arthur.
He was watching me carefully.
Then Danielle continued.
"Some withdrawals occurred after your eighteenth birthday."
My stomach dropped.
"But I never withdrew anything."
May you like
The room went silent.
And I realized the missing scholarship might be only one part of a much larger betrayal.
