CHAPTER 1 — The Proof Beneath My Graduation Gown
“Where’s your proof?”
My father spread his arms toward the crowd as though he had already won.
I reached beneath my graduation gown.
His smile disappeared.
From the hidden pocket sewn inside the fabric, I pulled out a small black voice recorder.
My mother stopped pretending to cry.
My younger brother Ethan, standing behind them in an expensive navy suit, took one step backward.
Professor Hughes stared at the recorder.
“What is that, Emily?”
“My insurance.”
My voice shook, but I forced myself to continue.
“For the last six months, someone has been trying to destroy my academic record.”
My father laughed too quickly.
“She’s desperate. That thing proves nothing.”
I pressed the button.
At first, there was only static.
Then my mother’s voice filled the courtyard.
“We don’t need to prove she cheated. We only need enough suspicion to stop the university from hiring her.”
Several people gasped.
A second voice followed.
My father.
“Once Ethan gets the research position, nobody will care what happened to Emily.”
The crowd erupted.
My father lunged for the recorder.
Professor Hughes stepped in front of me.
Security grabbed his arms before he reached me.
“You recorded us?” my mother hissed.
“No,” I said. “You recorded yourselves.”
Ethan’s face had turned pale.
Professor Hughes looked from him to my parents.
“What research position?”
Nobody answered.
Then a man in a gray suit pushed through the crowd.
He held up a university identification badge.
“My name is Daniel Reed. I’m with the Office of Academic Integrity.”
My father froze.
Daniel looked directly at Ethan.
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“We need to talk about the Bennett Medical Research Fellowship.”
Ethan turned and ran.
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