The betrayal felt like a physical weight on my chest.

“Daniel gave her my password,” I said.

“He thought she just wanted to look at some old family photos,” Jason said.

“He didn’t know, Elizabeth, I swear.”

“It doesn’t matter what he knew,” I said.

“He helped her violate my life.”

I looked at my cousin.

He looked so young, so small in his oversized winter coat.

But he was twenty-three years old.

He was old enough to know right from wrong.

“Did you sign those applications too, Jason?” I asked.

He hesitated.

The silence stretched between us, filled only by the distant hum of the hospital’s ventilation system.

“I had to sign the student portion,” he whispered.

“So you knew,” I said.

“You knew my signature was forged when you submitted them.”

“She told me you agreed to it!” he cried out, his voice echoing down the empty corridor.

“She said you were just being difficult because of the family drama.”

“She said you promised to help me.”

“And you believed her?” I asked.

“I wanted to believe her,” he said.

“I had to.”