Chapter 2 - The Midnight Call
I stared at the forged signature on the screen, feeling the blood completely drain from my face.
My mother had not only insulted me at the dinner table, but she had actively committed identity theft to fund her lifestyle.
She had secured a massive loan using my pristine credit score while simultaneously telling the family I was a financial drain.
I immediately called the fraud department of the bank and placed a hard freeze on my entire social security number.
The representative informed me that the funds had already been transferred and that a criminal investigation would take weeks.
I spent the next two days compiling every email, text message, and financial record proving my family's reliance on my money.
I wanted to be completely prepared for the inevitable explosion when their bills started bouncing.
On the third night, my phone buzzed violently on my nightstand at two in the morning.
The caller ID flashed my brother Bobby's name, accompanied by a frantic, unflattering photo of him.
I let it ring three times before finally answering with a calm, detached tone.
"Kinsley, you need to transfer five thousand dollars to my account right now," Bobby demanded without even saying hello.
I sat up in bed, absolutely refusing to be bullied into submission ever again.
"I am not giving you any more money, Bobby, you need to grow up," I replied, throwing our mother's words right back at him.
Bobby let out a desperate, echoing laugh that sounded completely out of place.
"This isn't a joke, Kinsley, my credit card was declined at the club and I got into a fight with the bouncer."
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He lowered his voice to a panicked whisper, revealing the true gravity of his situation.
"I am sitting in the back of a police cruiser, and if you don't pay my bail, they are going to find the illegal pills in my trunk."
