Chapter 4: The Agreement Signed Behind My Back
“Linda! Get in here. Right now!””
Dad's voice shook the walls.
I stood frozen in my bedroom, staring at the document Professor Hayes had sent me.
*EDUCATION FUND TRANSFER AGREEMENT.*
Six months earlier.
The same month I had started taking extra shifts at the bookstore.
The same month I had stopped buying lunch to save money for my graduation dress.
The same month Mom had hugged me in the kitchen and told me how proud she was of my hard work.
I opened the attachment.
The first page contained my name, Vanessa's name, and the account number of our grandparents' education fund.
The second page was worse.
It stated that I had voluntarily agreed to transfer my future educational benefits to Vanessa if I received any external scholarship.
I read the sentence twice.
Then a third time.
I had never signed anything like that.
At the bottom were three signatures.
My mother's.
My sister's.
And mine.
Except the signature beside my name was a forgery.
I knew because the person who had copied it had made the same mistake every time.
My handwritten M had a small loop at the beginning.
This one didn't.
I took screenshots of every page.
Then I heard footsteps approaching.
“Maya!””
Dad knocked once.
“Open the door.””
I unlocked it.
His face was pale.
“Did you receive the agreement?””
I nodded and showed him my laptop.
He read the first page.
Then the second.
His expression became completely still.
“Where did this come from?””
“Professor Hayes sent it.””
He scrolled down.
When he reached the signature page, his fingers tightened around the laptop.
“Did you sign this?””
“No.””
“Did you ever agree to give Vanessa your scholarship?””
“Never.””
He closed the laptop gently.
“Stay here.””
“Dad, what's happening?””
He looked at me.
“I think we've been lied to for a lot longer than either of us realized.””
He walked downstairs.
I followed him.
In the living room, Mom stood beside the fireplace, holding her phone. Vanessa was sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed.
Dad placed the printed agreement on the coffee table.
“Explain this.””
Mom glanced down.
Her face lost color.
“Where did you get that?””
“That's the second time you've asked me that tonight,” Dad replied.
“I'm starting to wonder why you're more interested in how I found something than in explaining what it means.””
Vanessa stood.
“Dad, this is private.””
He pointed to my signature.
“Did Maya sign this?””
Neither woman answered.
“Linda?””
Mom finally spoke.
“It was a family arrangement.””
Dad laughed once, without humor.
“A family arrangement?””
“Yes. Vanessa was struggling. We wanted to make sure both girls had opportunities.””
“By taking one girl's scholarship and giving it to the other?””
“That's not what happened.””
Dad picked up the first page.
“Then explain this sentence.””
Mom reached for the document.
He pulled it away.
“Don't.””
Her voice sharpened.
“Daniel, you are making a terrible mistake.””
“No. I made a mistake when I trusted you to manage that account without checking the statements.””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“Maya doesn't even need the money. She has a full scholarship.””
I looked at her.
“Why did you want it?””
She rolled her eyes.
“Because I deserve something too.””
“You already had money in the account.””
“Not enough!””
Dad turned toward her.
“How much did you receive?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“Eight thousand five hundred.””
“Is that all?””
Silence.
Dad looked at Mom.
“Linda?””
Mom sat down.
For the first time, she looked frightened rather than angry.
“There were other expenses.””
“What expenses?””
She stared at the carpet.
“Vanessa had debts.””
“What debts?””
“Credit cards. Rent. Some personal things.””
Dad shook his head.
“You emptied an education fund to pay credit card bills?””
“She was drowning!””
“And Maya was working herself sick to save for a dress!””
Mom's eyes flashed.
“It's a dress, Daniel!””
He looked at the ruined blue fabric still lying near the coffee table.
“No, Linda. It's the six months of work you watched your daughter put into something. And you let her sister destroy it.””
Vanessa suddenly stepped forward.
“Why do you keep bringing up that stupid dress?””
Dad turned toward her.
“Because it shows exactly how little respect you have for your sister.””
Vanessa's voice cracked.
“You don't understand! Everybody has been waiting for Maya to succeed. Nobody cares what happens to me.””
I stared at her.
“I never stopped you from doing anything.””
“You didn't have to!””
“What does that even mean?””
Vanessa looked at Mom.
Mom reached for her hand.
That small gesture told me more than either of them had admitted.
They had discussed this.
Planned it.
Possibly celebrated it.
Dad noticed too.
“Linda, how long have you known about the scholarship withdrawal?””
Mom didn't answer.
“How long?””
“Since last week.””
I felt the floor shift beneath me.
“Last week?””
Mom looked at me.
“I was trying to help your sister.””
“By pretending to be me?””
“I never pretended to be you.””
Dad lifted the document.
“Your signature is right here.””
Mom looked away.
Vanessa suddenly spoke.
“She did it because I asked her to.””
Mom closed her eyes.
“Vanessa, stop.””
“No! I'm tired of everyone acting like I'm the only one responsible.””
Dad stared at her.
“So you're admitting you knew about the withdrawal?””
Vanessa's lips pressed together.
“I knew we were trying to fix things.””
“What things?””
She didn't answer.
Dad walked to the dining table and picked up his phone.
“I'm calling the bank tomorrow. And the university.””
Mom stood abruptly.
“You cannot do that.””
“Watch me.””
“If you report this, you'll destroy your own family.””
Dad turned around.
“Linda, the person who tried to destroy this family wasn't the person who discovered the fraud.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Vanessa grabbed her purse.
“I'm leaving.””
“Where are you going?”” Mom asked.
“Somewhere I don't have to listen to this.””
Dad stepped aside.
“Go. But don't take anything that belongs to Maya.””
Vanessa stopped.
She looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite understand.
Hatred.
Fear.
And something that almost looked like desperation.
“You have no idea what you've done,” she whispered.
Then she walked out.
The front door slammed.
Mom sat back down and covered her face.
Dad didn't comfort her.
Instead, he picked up the agreement and studied the final page again.
Then he noticed something.
A handwritten note in the bottom corner.
He brought it closer to the light.
I watched his face change.
“What is it?”” I asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
He turned the paper toward me.
There was a date and a short sentence written in blue ink.
*Transfer must be completed before Maya turns twenty-three.*
Below it was another line.
*Otherwise, Daniel may discover the original account terms.*
Dad slowly lowered the document.
“Linda,” he said quietly.
Mom looked up.
“Where is the original agreement your parents signed?””
May you like
Her lips parted.
And for the first time that night, she didn't even try to answer.
