Chapter 3: Discovery
The court ordered financial discovery.
That was when everything unraveled.
People assume lawsuits are dramatic because of courtroom speeches.
They're wrong.
The real damage happens in spreadsheets.
Our forensic accountant traced every dollar.
The seventy-three thousand hadn't gone directly to Carter's university.
It had first passed through one account.
Then another.
Then Sabrina's checking account.
Then pieces of it disappeared.
A new SUV.
Luxury furniture.
A Caribbean vacation deposit.
Only twelve thousand dollars had actually reached Carter's tuition account.
I stared at the report.
"They lied."
The accountant nodded.
"They used your daughter's education fund as their personal bailout."
Even Carter didn't know.
When he was subpoenaed for a deposition, he walked into the conference room looking confused.
"I thought Grandma paid."
"So you never asked where the money came from?"
"They said they'd been saving for years."
Our attorney slid the bank records across the table.
His face lost all color.
"My mom..."
He stopped reading.
"...she bought herself a car?"
No one answered.
He already knew.
That evening Carter appeared at our front door.
Anna opened it.
He looked embarrassed.
"I need to talk."
Owen let him inside.
Carter couldn't even look at Anna.
"I'm sorry."
She blinked.
"For what?"
"I didn't know."
His voice cracked.
"I thought they were helping me."
He reached into his backpack and placed a cashier's check on our kitchen table.
Twelve thousand dollars.
"My scholarship came through yesterday."
"I don't want this."
Anna looked at him.
"You don't have to—"
"I do."
Tears filled his eyes.
"I won't build my future by stealing yours."
It was the first truly adult thing Carter had ever done.
Sabrina exploded when she found out.
"You ungrateful little traitor!"
She screamed loud enough for neighbors to hear.
Dad tried calming her.
Mom cried.
Carter packed a suitcase and moved into his dorm early.
Without saying goodbye.
May you like
The golden child had finally seen the truth.
And he wanted no part of it.
