I hung up. The phone immediately started ringing again. I unplugged it from the wall. My cell phone buzzed with text after text. «Maya, please call us back.» «We’re sorry.» «Don’t do this to us.» «You’re destroying our family.» «Please, Maya. We need you.»
I turned off my phone and sat in the darkness of my hotel room. For the first time in years, the silence felt peaceful. No one was asking me for money. No one was expecting me to fix their problems. No one was taking me for granted. I was finally free.
Three days later, the dominoes were still falling. I turned my phone back on to find 127 missed calls and 89 voicemails. But it wasn’t just my family blowing up my phone anymore.
Kinley called first thing in the morning, her voice tight with barely contained excitement. «Maya, you need to see the news.»
«What news?»
«Local Channel 7 picked up the story. ‘Family Fraud Scandal Rocks Upscale Wedding Industry.’ They interviewed Destiny and three other vendors who got stiffed.»
«They put it on TV?»
«It gets better. Sasha’s Instagram meltdown got picked up by one of those drama channels on TikTok. The video has two million views.»
I pulled up TikTok on my laptop. Sure enough, there was Sasha’s face in the thumbnail, mid-scream, with the caption, «Entitled Bride’s Family Commits Fraud for Dream Wedding.»
«The comments are savage,» Kinley continued. «Everyone’s calling her the poster child for spoiled brat syndrome.»
«What about my parents?»
«Your dad got arrested yesterday.»
I nearly dropped my phone. «What?»
«Disorderly conduct at the bank. Apparently, he went in demanding they release the frozen funds and started screaming at the tellers when they explained about the fraud investigation.»
«Jesus. He’s out on bail. But Maya, this is escalating fast. The DA’s office is considering formal charges.»
My laptop chimed with an email from an address I didn’t recognize. The subject line read, «Information you need to see.»
«Kinley, I’m getting weird emails now.»
«From who?»
I opened the message. «Someone named Amara from the bank. She says she has information about my parents’ financial situation that I need to see.»
«The loan officer who contacted you before?»
«Yeah. She’s asking if we can video chat.»
«Do it. Put me on mute but keep me on the line.» I called Amara’s number. She answered immediately, looking nervous.
«Maya, thank you for calling. I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but I felt you deserved to know the full extent of what’s been happening.»
«What do you mean?»
«Your parents have been trying to take out loans using your name and credit for months, even before the apartment sale.»
«That’s identity theft.»
«We flagged it and denied the applications. But they kept trying. Different banks, different loan officers—they’ve been desperate for cash for a long time.»
«How long?»
«Based on what I can see, they’ve been living paycheck to paycheck since 2019. Without your anonymous payments, they would have lost the house years ago.»
«They told me Dad got a promotion at work.»
«Your father was laid off eighteen months ago. He’s been collecting unemployment and doing odd jobs, but it’s nowhere near enough to maintain their lifestyle.»
My stomach dropped. «They’ve been lying about everything.»
«There’s more. Your sister has been running up credit card debt in your mother’s name. Designer clothes, spa treatments, wedding planning expenses. We’re talking about $60,000 in unsecured debt.»
«$60,000. And that’s just what I can see from our bank. There are probably other creditors.»
«Amara, why are you telling me this?»
«Because they’re trying to blame you for their financial problems. They filed a complaint with the police claiming you’ve been financially abusing them, withholding money that rightfully belongs to the family.»
«That’s insane.»
«I know. But they’re desperate, and desperate people do desperate things. I wanted you to have the full picture before you come back to town.»
After she hung up, I unmuted Kinley. «Did you hear all that?»
«Every word. Maya, they’re trying to frame you as the bad guy.»
«Of course they are. But here’s the thing. All this information Amara just gave you? It proves they’ve been committing fraud for months, not just with your apartment.»
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number. «This is Xander. Can we talk? There’s something you need to know about Sasha.»
I showed Kinley the message. «Answer it.»
I called Xander back. «Maya, thank God. I’ve been trying to reach you.»
«What’s going on?»
«Sasha’s been calling my parents, trying to get them to pay for the wedding. She told them you’re mentally unstable and that our families need to manage the situation together.»
«She what?»
«She’s claiming you’ve had a psychotic break and that’s why you’re destroying the family. She wants my parents to give her money and help her get you committed for a psychiatric evaluation.»
«You’re kidding.»
«I wish I was. My mother called me laughing because it was so ridiculous. But Maya, Sasha actually believes this narrative. She’s convinced herself that you’re the villain and she’s the victim.»
«What did your parents say?»
«They told her to lose their number. My family’s been dealing with grifters for generations. We know the signs.»
«I’m sorry you got dragged into this.»
«Don’t be. I’m grateful I found out what kind of family I was marrying into before it was too late.»
«Xander, can I ask you something?»
«Sure.»
«Did Sasha ever mention that I was supporting my parents financially?»
«Never. She always talked about how selfish you were, how you made all this money but never shared it with the family. She said you were jealous of her relationship with your parents.»
«She had no idea I was paying their bills.»
«None. Maya, I think your sister is genuinely delusional. She’s created this fantasy where she’s the perfect daughter and you’re the evil sister who ruins everything out of spite.»
After we hung up, Kinley whistled low. «She’s actually trying to get you committed. That’s a new low, even for Sasha.»
«Maya, your phone’s lighting up again.»
I looked at the screen. Multiple missed calls from numbers I didn’t recognize. Reporters, I realized. The story’s getting bigger.
«Are you going to talk to them?»
«Hell no. But I am going to do something else.»
«What?»
I opened my laptop and started typing. «I’m going to post the truth. All of it. Bank records, legal documents, everything. If they want to play this game in public, I’ll give the public the whole story.»
«Maya, are you sure? Once you put this out there, there’s no taking it back.»
«Good. I want everyone to know exactly what kind of people they are.»
I uploaded the documents to a secure file-sharing site and started writing a detailed post explaining everything: the years of financial support, the forged signatures, the fraud, the lies.
«There,» I said, hitting publish. «Let’s see them spin this.»
Within minutes, my post was being shared across multiple platforms. The evidence was undeniable, the timeline clear. My phone rang. It was a number I didn’t recognize.
«Maya, this is Detective Rodriguez. We need to talk.»
«About what?»
«Your parents just filed a restraining order against you, claiming harassment and financial abuse. But based on the evidence you just posted online, I think we need to have a very different conversation.»
«What kind of conversation?»
«The kind where we discuss pressing charges against them for fraud, identity theft, and filing false police reports.»
I smiled for the first time in days. «Detective, I’d be happy to cooperate with that investigation.»
The hunter had become the hunted, and I was just getting started.
The courtroom was packed when I finally flew back home. Detective Rodriguez had fast-tracked the case once my evidence went public, and the media attention made it impossible to ignore. I sat in the front row, watching my parents at the defendant’s table. Dad looked like he’d aged ten years in two weeks. Mom kept dabbing at her eyes with tissues. Sasha sat behind them, glaring at me with pure hatred.
«All rise for the Honorable Judge Martinez.»
The judge was a no-nonsense woman in her fifties who’d clearly read every document in the case file. «This is a preliminary hearing for charges of fraud, identity theft, and filing false police reports against Albert and Ava Gill. Ms. Gill, you’re the complainant?»
«Yes, Your Honor.»
«Mr. Gill, you’re representing yourself?»
Dad stood up shakily. «Yes, Your Honor. We couldn’t afford a lawyer.»
«I see. And Ms. Sasha Gill, you’re here as a witness?»
«I’m here to tell the truth about my sister’s lies,» Sasha said loudly.
«You’ll speak when spoken to,» Judge Martinez said sharply. «Now, let’s review the evidence.»
The prosecutor laid it out methodically: the forged signatures, the fraudulent sale, the years of financial support my parents had accepted while planning to steal from me, and the attempted identity theft for additional loans.
«Your Honor,» Dad said when given the chance to speak, «we’re a family. Maya’s been supporting us for years. We thought the apartment was a family asset.»
«Mr. Gill, did you forge your daughter’s signature on legal documents?»
«Well, yes, but—»
«Did you sell property that belonged to her without her knowledge or consent?»
«Technically, yes, but she wasn’t using it.»
«Mr. Gill, there is no ‘technically’ when it comes to fraud. You either committed these crimes or you didn’t.»
Mom stood up, tears streaming down her face. «Your Honor, Maya’s been playing games with our family for years. She’s been secretly controlling our finances, manipulating us.»
«Mrs. Gill, your daughter was voluntarily paying your bills. That’s called generosity, not manipulation.»
«But she never told us!»
«She had no obligation to tell you. The money was hers to give or withhold as she saw fit.»
Sasha couldn’t contain herself anymore. «She ruined my wedding! She destroyed our family out of spite!»
«Ms. Gill, you’re out of order.»
«She’s a vindictive bitch who—»
«Bailiff, remove Ms. Gill from my courtroom.»
I watched as security escorted my screaming sister out. Even now, she couldn’t accept responsibility for anything.
