I didn't say a word. I switched on my heel, the dishes remained untouched, and I descended the creaking stairs to my windowless basement room.
As I reached the bottom step, the floorboards above my head creaked. The house was old, and the air vents carried every whisper like a megaphone. I stood still in the darkness as Victoria's hushed, conspiratorial voice drifted through the aluminum grille.
“Are the papers drafted?” she asked.
“Yes,” Thomas replied, his tone devoid of any paternal warmth. “Once this ridiculous graduation is over on Friday, we’ll serve you with the eviction notice. You’re eighteen now; you’re no longer legally entitled to your mother’s inheritance. Haley needs that basement cleared out. It’ll be her new personal content studio.”
On the morning of the ceremony, the sky above University Hall was a bruised, violently turbulent gray. The rain didn't just fall; it attacked in heavy, icy sheets, turning the campus's great limestone pillars into slick, towering monoliths.
I stood near the edge of the sprawling stone courtyard, the hem of my wet, plastered black prom dress reaching my ankles. The cold seeped through the thin soles of my sensitive shoes, chilling me to the bone. I'd arrived early, needing a moment to breathe before the chaos engulfed me, only to see a sleek black taxi pull up onto the VIP curb.
Outside, my family.
Haley emerged first, completely shielded by an enormous golf umbrella held by the taxi driver. She wore a pristine, cream-colored designer trench coat, utterly inappropriate for the weather but perfect for a photograph. In her well-groomed hand, she clutched my stolen gold-embossed VIP ticket, waving it like she'd won the lottery. Victoria followed behind, complaining loudly about the humidity that had ruined her explosion, while Thomas adjusted his silk tie, his eyes already darting, scanning the throngs of families arriving to find anyone wealthy enough to launch their failing logistics company.
They seemed like a parody of a loving family.
I breathed, stepping out of the meager shelter of a stone archway. I needed to get inside. As I approached the main security checkpoint, Thomas spotted me. His face instantly contorted with deep embarrassment.
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