Chapter 6: The Woman Who Wanted Me Gone
The police arrived forty minutes later.
Two officers sat at our kitchen table while Dad explained everything.
The documents.
The emails.
The recording.
The fake teacher letter.
I sat quietly beside him.
Not because I had nothing to say.
Because I was trying to understand how someone could live in the same house as me while secretly working against me.
Officer Martinez held up the fake academic letter.
“Mrs. Carter, do you understand why this is concerning?””
Linda sat across from him.
She looked completely different.
The confident woman who always controlled every conversation was gone.
Now she looked smaller.
“I made a mistake.””
Dad laughed once.
“A mistake?””
Linda looked at him.
“Yes.””
“You don’t accidentally create fake documents.””
She looked away.
Officer Martinez continued.
“Where did you get this letter?””
Linda didn’t answer.
The officer repeated:
“Mrs. Carter?””
Finally, she whispered:
“Someone helped me.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?””
Linda stayed silent.
Dad leaned forward.
“Who helped you?””
She looked at me.
Then said:
“Your uncle.””
I froze.
“My uncle?””
Dad’s face changed.
“My brother?””
Linda nodded.
“Robert knew.””
The room went silent.
I couldn’t believe it.
Another person.
Another secret.
Dad stood.
“You involved my brother?””
Linda looked desperate now.
“He understood.””
“Understood what?””
“That Emma needed to stop chasing something impossible.””
I stared at her.
Everyone kept saying the same thing.
Impossible.
Like my dreams were some childish fantasy.
Like wanting a better life was an insult.
Officer Martinez wrote something down.
“We’ll need to speak with him.””
Linda looked nervous.
But then something strange happened.
She smiled.
Again.
That same smile.
The one she wore when she thought she had another card to play.
“What?””
Dad noticed.
“What else?””
Linda looked at me.
“You really think the university will give you that scholarship after everything?””
I felt my stomach drop.
Officer Martinez frowned.
“What do you mean?””
Linda leaned back.
“Ask her.””
Everyone looked at me.
“What?””
Linda’s smile grew.
“Tell them what happened the night before your application interview.””
I stared at her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.””
“Yes, you do.””
My mind raced.
The night before?
The interview?
Nothing happened.
Nothing except—
My breath caught.
The missing file.
Months ago, I had stayed late at school finishing my portfolio.
The next morning, my teacher told me one of my documents was missing.
I thought I had misplaced it.
I thought it was my fault.
But Linda knew.
“How do you know about that?””
She didn’t answer.
Dad looked at her.
“How do you know?””
Linda shrugged.
“Because I was there.””
My skin went cold.
“You were at my school?””
She smiled.
“I needed to know what kind of person you were becoming.””
Officer Martinez looked at her.
“That sounds like you’re admitting involvement.””
Linda immediately changed.
“No. I was just checking.””
Dad stared at her.
“You followed her?””
“No.””
“You lied.””
“I was protecting my family.””
Dad shook his head.
“No. You were hunting my daughter.””
That word.
Hunting.
It was exactly what it felt like.
Like I wasn’t a person to her.
I was an obstacle.
Officer Martinez stood.
“We’re going to need copies of all these documents.””
He turned toward Linda.
“And we’ll need your devices.””
Her face went pale.
“My devices?””
“Yes.””
The phone.
The tablet.
The computer.
Everything.
Linda suddenly looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something I never expected.
Panic.
Real panic.
Because she knew what they would find.
After the officers left with the evidence, Dad sat beside me.
“I’m sorry.””
I looked at him.
“You already said that.””
“I know.””
He swallowed.
“But I need you to hear it again.””
I waited.
“I failed you.””
I looked down.
“No, Dad.””
“Yes.””
His voice broke.
“I was so focused on keeping peace that I ignored the person causing the damage.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because part of me wanted to forgive him.
And part of me was still hurt.
Both feelings could exist.
That night, I received an email.
My hands shook as I opened it.
The university.
I read the first line.
*Dear Emma Carter,*
My heart raced.
Then I read the next sentence.
*After reviewing the evidence provided, we have discovered additional concerns regarding the integrity of your application materials.*
I stopped breathing.
Additional concerns.
I kept reading.
*A full investigation has been opened.*
I looked at Dad.
“What does this mean?””
He took the laptop.
His eyes moved across the screen.
Then his face changed.
Because beneath the university’s message was another attachment.
A file I had never seen before.
A file created using my name.
And inside it was a confession.
A confession saying I had cheated my way into every academic achievement I ever received.
At the bottom was my signature.
Fake.
Again.
But this time, there was something different.
A timestamp.
A location.
A device ID.
Dad stared at the screen.
Then whispered:
“Emma…”
I looked at him.
“What?””
He turned the laptop toward me.
“The file wasn’t created by Linda.””
My blood ran cold.
“Then who created it?””
Dad looked at the information.
And said a name I never expected.
May you like
A name that changed everything.
“Your father.””
