Weeks later, Sadie found me in the library.
“Avery?”
Shock.
Confusion.
“How are you here?”
“I transferred.”
“How are you paying for this?”
“Scholarship.”
That was the moment everything started to shift.
Soon after, my phone filled with messages.
For years, silence had belonged to them.
Now it belonged to me.
The Call
Eventually, I answered.
“You’re at Ashford Heights?” my father asked.
“Yes.”
“You didn’t tell us.”
“I didn’t think you’d care.”
Pause.
“Of course I care. You’re my daughter.”
That word felt unfamiliar.
“You told me I wasn’t worth investing in.”
“That was years ago.”
“It still mattered.”
Then:
“How are you paying for it?”
“Sterling Scholars.”
Silence.
“That’s extremely competitive.”
“Yes.”
