Chapter 3 - The Counteraccusation
Maya stepped back, her breath hitching. ""What are you talking about?""
Eleanor laughed coldly, turning the tables with calculated precision. ""Tell him, Maya. Tell your father about the secondary envelope that arrived at the house last Tuesday. Tell him where your tuition deposit actually went.""
Robert’s gaze darted between the two women. ""Tuition deposit? Maya was accepted into State Engineering on full academic tenure.""
""Was she?"" Eleanor asked, her voice dripping with poison. ""Or did she secretly withdraw her acceptance to enroll in an unaccredited art residency across the country using the trust fund your late wife left behind?""
The accusation hung in the evening air like a toxic cloud. Robert turned slowly to his daughter, his eyes begging for an immediate, indignant denial.
Maya’s silence was deafening.
Her tears had stopped, replaced by a defensive wall of shame and stubborn defiance. She looked at the polished concrete beneath her sneakers.
""Maya?"" Robert’s voice dropped, cracking slightly. ""Is this true?""
""It’s not what she makes it sound like,"" Maya stammered, her voice thick. ""I was going to tell you tonight, after the ceremony. I wanted to explain—""
""Explain what?"" Eleanor cut in ruthlessly. ""That you were planning to take the money meant for your practical education and run away to Portland without giving your father a single word of notice? I had to find the confirmation letter shoved beneath your mattress!""
""You went through my room?"" Maya shouted, drawing stares from a nearby cluster of graduates in matching caps and gowns.
""I manage this household!"" Eleanor snapped back. ""Someone had to discover the truth before your father embarrassed himself on stage thanking an engineering department you never intended to attend!""
Robert stood motionless between them, buffeted by two competing betrayals. The warm breeze carried the distant chatter of happy families, contrasting bitterly with the wreckage unfolding in front of him.
""You lied to me,"" Robert whispered, looking at Maya.
""Dad, listen to me—"" Maya pleaded, extending a trembling hand.
""And you,"" Robert interrupted, turning a blazing gaze onto Eleanor, ""forged my name to punish a child.""
May you like
Before either could respond, the heavy auditorium doors swung open, and the class marshal stepped outside with a clipboard.
""Five minutes to processional lineup!"" the marshal announced loudly. ""Walker, Maya—you have an urgent call from the Dean's desk inside.""
