Chapter 3
Audrey went to the financial aid office and begged for options.
She applied for emergency grants.
She took out loans in her own name.
She worked in the dining hall at 5 a.m.
She cleaned classrooms at night.
She tutored freshmen in writing.
She skipped meals and told roommates she was not hungry.
Every semester, she almost lost her place.
Every semester, she found a way to stay.
Her parents did not send money.
They sent shame.
Her mother texted,
“Your brother has a real future. Stop being selfish.”
Her father left voicemails saying she would drop out eventually.
When relatives asked about Audrey, her parents told them she was “struggling.”
Then “taking time off.”
Then “pretending to still be in school because she was embarrassed.”
Audrey heard about it from a cousin during sophomore year.
“Your mom said you lost your scholarship,” the cousin said.
Audrey was standing outside the library in the rain, wearing shoes with holes in the soles.
She looked up at the building where she had studied all night for an exam.
Then she said,
“No. I didn’t.”
But she did not tell the full truth.
Not yet.
Because Audrey was still ashamed.
That was the cruelest part.
Her parents stole from her, but somehow she felt embarrassed.
Embarrassed that she had trusted them.
Embarrassed that she was broke.
Embarrassed that she had to smile in class while wondering if she could afford laundry detergent.
By junior year, Audrey began gathering proof.
Not because she wanted revenge.
Because the lies were spreading faster than she could outrun them.
She found copies of the trust withdrawal forms.
Her signature was on each page.
But it was not her handwriting.
She found emails sent from an old family account pretending to be her.
She found a bank transfer that moved part of her tuition fund to a car dealership.
She found another payment to her brother’s private athletic program.
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And one to a credit card her father claimed had been used for “family emergencies.”
👉 When Audrey confronted her mother, she expected denial — but what she heard hurt even worse.
