Father did not look at her.

He was staring at his own phone, which had just lit up with a notification.

His face was completely blank.

“It was an investment,” Father said quietly.

“An investment in our future.”

“An investment in *her* future,” I corrected.

“While I wore long sleeves to hide the scars you couldn’t afford to fix.”

Mother began to weep openly now.

She reached out to touch Chloe’s arm, but Chloe pulled away.

“You told me it was a scholarship,” Chloe said to Mother.

“You told me the agency paid for the trips.”

“We did it to protect you, Chloe,” Mother sobbed.

“We wanted you to have a beautiful life.”

“At my expense,” I said.

The guests were staring at their phones now.

The silence was heavy, broken only by the sound of Mother’s quiet crying.

The board member, Mr. Harrison, lowered his glass.

He looked at Father with a cold, evaluating expression.

“Richard,” Mr. Harrison said.

“Is this what you’ve been doing with the family trust?”

Father didn’t answer him.

He turned back to me, his eyes dark with a quiet, dangerous fury.