My Future Self Exposed My Mom’s Secret Sacrifice Chapter 02

My Future Self Exposed My Mom’s Secret Sacrifice Chapter 02

The teller printed three years of statements and slid the stack across the counter.

I held the whole pile in my arms, scanning every sheet one by one.

Starting freshman year, Seraphina wired exactly one hundred thousand dollars to my account at midnight on the first of every month.

Sometimes,there were extra transfers for birthdays, school expenses, or emergencies.

Each transfer had a little note attached.

[Happy birthday, my darling girl]

[For your exams. Eat well and take care of yourself]

[Early birthday money for my girl. You’ll always be my baby.]

None of that money stayed in my account longer than five minutes.

Large transfers drained every cent each time, leaving only thirty dollars behind.

Trembling rage made my breath catch as I read through page after page.

Kian had married into Seraphina’s money.

Their prenup made it clear: the Voss assets belonged to her, and only to her.

They’d had two kids: Jasper carried his father’s surname Hale, while I’d taken my mother’s Voss last name.

No matter what happened, Kian always acted like he favored me more, ordering Jasper to give way to me constantly.

I still remembered when I’d fallen severely ill at six years old.

Kian spent a week at a chapel retreat, praying over a silver cross he said would keep me safe.

Jasper sobbed to the doctors, begging them to take whatever they needed from him if it would save me.

That’s why I’d believed every single word they’d ever said to me without a single doubt.

Tears blurred every line of the bank statements in my hands.

I bit back a bitter, furious scream, rage coiling tight in my chest instead of silent sorrow.

The next day at Holloway High School, the whole class swarmed around Liora.

She beamed, flaunting a couture designer bracelet on her wrist.

“It’s limited edition. Dad heard me mention it once and had it flown in from Milan.”

The whole room erupted in envious murmurs.

I picked at the stale roll that was supposed to be my lunch, my only full meal each day thanks to my tiny thirty-dollar monthly budget.

Liora stretched her arm right in front of my face, her smile bright and taunting.

“Isn’t it gorgeous, Elowen?”

I didn’t miss the malice beneath her bright smile.

I huffed a quiet laugh.

“It’s always flashy when you didn’t earn the money to buy it yourself.”

Several classmates turned on me instantly, sniping sarcastically.

“Leave Liora alone. Elowen’s just bitter because she’s broke and Liora isn’t.”

“Yeah, so what if it’s not her cash? Her loved ones want to treat her nicely.”

Liora smiled magnanimously, pretending pity.

“I heard Elowen only gets thirty dollars a month for spending money. I totally get why she’d be upset.”

Loud mocking laughter exploded around us.

“Thirty bucks? I spend three hundred a month just on cat food for my pet.”

“Is she even adopted or something?”

Their jeers didn’t get under my skin.

I swallowed the last crumb of my roll and stood up, staring calmly at Liora.

“You know what day Seraphina sends my monthly stipend?”

Liora blinked, confused.

I smiled faintly.

“That same exact day, your dad’s huge client payment cleared his bank account. What a wild coincidence, right?”

Liora’s smile froze stiff on her lips.

I stepped out of the classroom and ran straight into Ms. Colton, my homeroom teacher.

Her face twisted with embarrassment, and she stumbled over her words.

“The scholarship committee released their final decision.”

My heart sank the second I saw her expression.

I followed her to Principal Elias Thorne’s admin office.

The scholarship I had already won had been reassigned to Liora.

Principal Thorne rushed to make excuses.

He claimed Seraphina had personally called the school to request the switch.

I didn’t bother calling out his obvious lie.

I just stared blankly at the award letter on his desk. $3,000.

To Liora, that amount was nothing more than the cost of one runway gown.

A month prior, I’d dreamed of using that money to eat full meals every day and book a cheap hotel room for one night, just to sleep somewhere cool.

I didn’t say a word, turning to borrow Ms. Colton’s smartphone.

Principal Thorne stared at me, confused.

“What are you doing?”

I kept a calm, faint smile while dialing.

“I’m calling the sheriff’s office. My scholarship was stolen, and I want it on record.”