Chapter 2

Sarah had poured her life into Lily, sacrificing her own youth, her own chances, so Lily could have everything.

She' d worked double shifts, her feet aching, her back screaming, fueled by coffee and the fierce love for her daughter.

The thought of Lily, brilliant and kind, stuck in their dying town, working a dead-end job like her mother, was a pain Sarah couldn't bear.

That was the life Rich and Karen seemed to think was good enough for them.

"Don't worry, Mom," Lily said, her face alight with joy after Rich' s offer to "help" with the Caltech paperwork.

"Uncle Rich said he knows people at these foundations. He' ll make sure everything goes smoothly."

Sarah forced a smile.

"That' s... good of him, Lily."

She guided Lily gently, "Just make sure you double-check everything yourself, okay? It' s your future."

Lily, trusting and earnest, nodded.

"Of course, Mom!"

Her daughter' s innocent happiness was a fragile thing, and Sarah felt a desperate urge to protect it.

Weeks passed.

The initial euphoria faded into anxious waiting.

Then, the letter arrived.

Thin. Official.

Sarah' s hand trembled as she watched Lily open it.

Lily' s face crumpled.

"I... I didn' t get it, Mom."

Her voice was a whisper.

She sank onto the old sofa, the rejection letter falling from her hand.

"They said... the competition was very strong."

Sarah' s heart shattered. This couldn't be right.

"Top candidate," the Dean had said.

Lily, ever the pragmatist even in her devastation, said, "Maybe Uncle Rich was right. Maybe I just wasn't good enough for Caltech after all."

She didn't see the lie, the manipulation. Sarah did.

A cold fury began to burn through her shock.

Rich. This had Rich' s fingerprints all over it.

Sarah picked up the local newspaper left on their porch.

A glossy photo on the community page caught her eye.

Rich and Karen, beaming, stood beside Karen' s son, Chad Thompson.

The headline read: "Local Student Chad Thompson Wins Prestigious STEM Scholarship to Caltech."

The same scholarship.

The same goddamn scholarship.

Sarah' s breath hitched.

Chad was academically mediocre, lazy, and entitled.

There was no way he' d won it legitimately.

Lily followed her gaze and gasped. "Chad? But... how?"

The betrayal was a physical blow. Sarah felt sick.

Despite her own reeling shock, Sarah knew she had to act.

"Lily, honey, get dressed. We' re going to see your uncle."

She grabbed David' s medals from the display case, the Distinguished Service Cross cool and heavy in her hand.

This wasn't just about a scholarship anymore. It was about David's legacy, about honor.

Lily, confused but sensing her mother' s grim determination, followed.

"Mom, what are you doing with Dad's medals?"

A quiet understanding passed between them as Sarah held the medals.

This was a fight.

They drove to Rich and Karen' s upscale suburb.

The gate to their community was manned by a uniformed guard.

"Name and purpose of visit?" the guard asked, his tone bored.

"Sarah Miller. We' re here to see Richard Miller. It' s family."

The guard made a call.

"They say they' re not expecting you. Mr. Miller is hosting a private event."

Sarah' s jaw tightened.

"Tell him it' s urgent. It' s about David."