Chapter 2: The Email Nobody Was Supposed to See
For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.
Dad held the phone between us.
“Read it carefully,” he said.
I took it from him.
The message was short.
The university's graduate admissions office had received an email requesting that my scholarship be canceled because I had supposedly decided to attend a different institution.
The request had been submitted two days earlier.
It included my full name, student identification number, and application reference.
Everything looked legitimate.
Except one thing.
The signature at the bottom wasn't mine.
“I didn't write this.””
Dad nodded.
“I believe you.””
“Someone used my account.””
“Then we need to find out who.””
I stared at the screen.
My scholarship covered tuition, fees, and a monthly living stipend for two years. It was the opportunity I had worked toward since my first semester of college.
Without it, graduate school would be financially impossible.
“Dad, what if they cancel it before we can fix this?””
“They won't if we contact them immediately.””
He picked up his laptop.
“Let's call the admissions office.””
I sat beside him while he dialed the number.
After two transfers, a woman named Rebecca answered.
Dad explained the situation calmly.
Rebecca asked to speak with me directly.
“Hello, Maya. I'm looking at your file now,” she said.
“We received a withdrawal request on Wednesday afternoon.””
“I didn't send it.””
“Do you recognize the email address it came from?””
I read the address aloud.
It was mine.
My actual email address.
My stomach tightened.
Rebecca continued.
“The request also included a signed statement confirming your decision.””
“What signed statement?””
There was a pause.
“I can send you a copy.””
“Please do.””
A few seconds later, an attachment appeared in my inbox.
I opened it.
It was a scanned document.
My name was typed at the bottom.
But the signature…
I recognized it immediately.
It looked almost exactly like mine.
Almost.
Someone had copied my signature from an old form.
I felt cold.
“Dad.””
He leaned closer.
“What?””
I pointed to the document.
He studied it.
“Did you sign this?””
“No.””
Rebecca spoke through the phone.
“Maya, we haven't processed the cancellation because your faculty adviser flagged the request. She thought the timing was unusual, considering your recent correspondence about housing arrangements.””
I swallowed.
“Who flagged it?””
“Professor Eleanor Hayes.””
I almost cried from relief.
Professor Hayes had supervised my undergraduate research. She had written one of my scholarship recommendations and had repeatedly told me that I was capable of more than I believed.
“Can you tell her thank you?”” I whispered.
“Of course. We will also place a security hold on your file until we verify your identity.””
Dad thanked Rebecca and ended the call.
For a moment, we just sat there.
Then he asked:
“Who has access to your email?””
“Only me.””
“Are you sure?””
I hesitated.
“Vanessa knows my laptop password.””
Dad turned toward me.
“Why?””
“She borrowed my laptop a few months ago. Hers wasn't working.””
“Did you change the password afterward?””
“No.””
He closed his eyes briefly.
“Okay.””
I shook my head.
“Dad, I don't want to accuse her.””
He looked at me carefully.
“I'm not asking you to accuse anyone. I'm asking you to protect yourself.””
I wanted to believe this was a misunderstanding.
Maybe someone had hacked my account.
Maybe a stranger had somehow obtained my information.
Maybe the signature was copied from a document that had been shared online.
But I knew how Vanessa behaved when she wanted something.
She didn't stop until she got it.
And she especially hated being told no.
Dad stood.
“Let's go downstairs.””
I followed him.
Mom was in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water.
Vanessa sat at the island scrolling through her phone.
The scissors were still on the coffee table.
Mom looked up.
“Are you finished?””
Dad placed his laptop on the counter.
“No.””
Vanessa sighed.
“Oh, here we go again.””
Dad opened the email.
“Vanessa, have you accessed Maya's email account recently?””
Her thumb stopped moving.
“What?””
“Her email account.””
“No.””
“Have you used her laptop?””
“Dad, everybody uses everybody's stuff in this house.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
Vanessa put down her phone.
“Why are you interrogating me?””
“Because someone submitted a fraudulent scholarship withdrawal request using Maya's email account.””
Mom's face changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
Vanessa laughed.
“That's ridiculous.””
Dad turned the laptop toward her.
“Do you recognize this document?””
She glanced at it.
“No.””
“Look carefully.””
“I said no.””
Mom stepped between them.
“Daniel, why would Vanessa do something like that?””
Dad looked at her.
“I haven't accused her.””
“Then why are you showing her?””
“Because she has had access to Maya's laptop.””
Vanessa pushed her stool backward.
“I'm not doing this.””
Dad remained calm.
“Sit down.””
“Stop ordering me around!””
She snatched her phone and headed toward the hallway.
Then Dad said something that made her stop.
“The university has preserved the original submission records. If someone accessed Maya's account from this house, they'll be able to identify the device.””
Vanessa turned around.
“What does that mean?””
“It means we'll find out who sent it.””
Her eyes moved briefly toward Mom.
It was quick.
Almost invisible.
But I noticed.
Mom noticed too.
She immediately stepped forward.
“Enough. This family isn't going to start treating each other like suspects because of a computer problem.””
Dad stared at her.
“Linda, a person tried to steal Maya's scholarship.””
“You don't know that.””
“Someone submitted a request in her name without permission.””
“Maybe Maya forgot.””
I looked at her.
“I didn't forget.””
Mom turned toward me.
“You're upset. You're emotional. You might have sent something without remembering.””
The kitchen went quiet.
I felt something inside me settle.
Not anger.
Something colder.
“You watched Vanessa destroy my dress,” I said.
“And now you're suggesting I might have destroyed my own scholarship?””
Mom's expression hardened.
“Don't twist my words.””
“Then tell me what you meant.””
Vanessa smirked.
“See? This is why nobody can talk to her.””
Dad closed the laptop.
“That's enough.””
He looked at Vanessa.
“Until we understand what happened, you're not using Maya's laptop or entering her room.””
Vanessa laughed.
“You can't ban me from my own house.””
“No,” Dad replied.
“But I can require you to respect somebody else's property.””
Mom crossed her arms.
“You're making Vanessa feel like a criminal.””
Dad looked at her.
“I'm making it clear that actions have consequences.””
I left the kitchen before they could start arguing again.
Upstairs, I went into my bedroom and locked the door.
My graduation dress was supposed to be hanging in my closet.
Instead, I could still see the blue pieces scattered across the living room floor.
I sat on the edge of my bed and opened my email.
There were three new security notifications.
The first showed a login from our home internet connection.
The second showed an attempt to change my recovery phone number.
The third was a password reset request.
All three had happened Wednesday.
The same day the scholarship withdrawal had been submitted.
I clicked the login details.
The device name appeared on the screen.
*Linda's iPad.*
I stared at it.
My mother.
I read it again.
Then again.
There had to be an explanation.
Maybe Mom had opened something accidentally.
Maybe Vanessa had borrowed her tablet.
Maybe someone else had used it.
I was still trying to make sense of it when my phone buzzed.
A text from Vanessa.
Stop making Dad investigate things. You're embarrassing yourself.
Another message arrived.
You always get what you want. Don't push this.
I took a screenshot.
Then I heard a knock.
“Maya?”” Dad called.
I opened the door.
He was holding a small cardboard box.
“I found something in the garage.””
“What?””
He placed the box on my bed.
Inside were several old envelopes, printed emails, and copies of university paperwork.
At first, I didn't understand why he had brought them.
Then I saw my name.
My scholarship application.
My financial aid information.
My private documents.
They had been printed and stored in a folder.
“Where did you find these?”” I asked.
“In the cabinet near your mother's desk.””
I picked up the top sheet.
It was a copy of my scholarship award letter.
There was a yellow sticky note attached.
Three words were written across it in Mom's handwriting.
*Do not tell Daniel.*
My hands started shaking.
Dad watched me read it.
“I found something else,” he said.
“What?””
He pulled another envelope from his pocket.
It was addressed to Vanessa.
Inside was a printed bank statement showing a transfer of $8,500.
The money had come from the college savings account my grandparents had established for both of us.
I looked at Dad.
“Why was Vanessa taking money from that account?””
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned the envelope over.
There was a handwritten note on the back.
And when I read the name written at the bottom, my heart nearly stopped.
May you like
It wasn't Vanessa's name.
It was Mom's.
