I did not take anything my parents had bought for me.

I wanted nothing of theirs.

When I came back downstairs, Brandon was still sitting on the steps.

He did not look at me as I walked past him.

I walked out of the front door and into the cool, rainy night.

Arthur held an umbrella over my head as we walked to his car.

The blue and red lights of the police cars were still flashing down the street.

Neighbors were standing on their porches, whispering and watching.

I got into the front seat of Arthur’s car.

I did not look back at the house as we pulled away.

The next morning, the rain had stopped.

The sun came up over the campus of Ellison University.

I sat in Arthur’s office, drinking a cup of black coffee.

He had several documents spread out across his desk.

“The bank accounts have been frozen,” Arthur explained, tapping a paper.

“Your father’s assets will be liquidated to pay off his creditors and his legal fees,” he said.

“But your grandmother’s trust was kept separate from their personal accounts,” he added.