Chapter 8: My Sister’s Missing Year
Everyone looked at Madison.
She immediately shook her head.
“No.””
Dad stepped closer.
“Madison?””
“I don’t know what he means.””
Robert gave a bitter laugh.
“Of course you don’t.””
My heart raced.
“What is happening?””
Madison looked at me.
“I swear I didn’t know.””
Dad looked at Robert.
“Explain yourself.””
Robert sat down.
His confidence was gone.
“I didn’t create the plan.””
“Then what did you do?””
He rubbed his face.
“I helped someone get access.””
“To what?””
He looked at me.
“Your application.””
The room felt smaller.
I couldn’t understand.
“Why would you help anyone do that?””
Robert looked uncomfortable.
“Because I thought it was a family issue.””
Dad stared at him.
“This is not an answer.””
Robert sighed.
“A few months ago, Madison came to me.””
Madison’s face went pale.
“No.””
Robert looked at her.
“You were angry.””
“I was upset.””
“You said you wanted her to understand what it felt like to lose.””
I looked at Madison.
She looked away.
“Madison?””
She started crying.
“I never asked him to ruin your scholarship.””
Robert nodded.
“I know.””
“Then why are you saying this?””
“Because you need to tell the truth.””
Madison covered her face.
The room went silent.
I waited.
Finally, she spoke.
“Last year…”
Her voice was barely audible.
“Last year, I applied for a scholarship too.””
I frowned.
“What?””
She nodded.
“I didn’t tell anyone.””
“Why?””
“Because I didn’t get it.””
The words surprised me.
Madison always acted like rejection didn’t hurt her.
Like nothing could touch her.
But now I saw the truth.
She had been carrying it alone.
“I applied three times,” she whispered.
“And every time I failed.””
Dad’s expression softened.
“Madison…”
“I was embarrassed.””
She looked at me.
“Then you started getting accepted everywhere.””
I swallowed.
“So you hated me?””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“I hated how I felt.””
That sentence hurt because I understood it.
Not because it was right.
Because it was real.
Robert interrupted.
“And that’s when someone contacted her.””
Dad looked at him.
“Who?””
Robert hesitated.
“I don’t know the name.””
“You expect us to believe that?””
“I’m telling the truth.””
He pulled out his phone.
“There were messages.””
Madison looked confused.
“What messages?””
Robert opened his phone.
“They told me Madison needed help.””
He showed us the screen.
The messages were short.
Carefully written.
“Make her question herself.””
“Make her believe she isn’t special.””
“People like her always get too much attention.””
My hands tightened.
“Who wrote these?””
Robert shook his head.
“I don’t know.””
Dad stared at the phone.
“Then why did you follow their instructions?””
Robert looked ashamed.
“Because I thought I was helping Madison become stronger.””
Nobody spoke.
Finally, I asked:
“Who was the first person to know about my scholarship?””
Dad looked at me.
Madison looked at me.
Then Robert said something that made all of us freeze.
“The person who knew before anyone else…”
He slowly looked toward the family photo wall.
“…was your mother’s closest friend.””
My heart stopped.
“My mother’s friend?””
May you like
Robert nodded.
“And she’s been involved since the beginning.””
