The "someone else" he meant? No question, it was Scott. My grip tightened on my phone as my hand started to tremble.
Mom and Dad exchanged a quick look and disappeared into their room.
I followed quietly, pressing my ear to the door.
Through the thin wood, I caught Dad’s voice. "Scott needs that scholarship. If he’s going to take over the company, his resume has to look good. She’ll understand. The extra points are for him."
"But the paper is on Savannah's phone. How do you plan to pull that off?" Mom asked, hesitant.
"Her phone is ancient," Dad said, brushing it off like it was nothing. "Tell her to get a new one, back it up and send it to Scott."
"Isn’t that a bit much?" Mom asked again, her voice quieter this time.
"What’s too much about it?" Dad shot back, frustrated. "Do you want Scott to get criticized as useless when he starts at the company?"
I didn’t even know how I got back to my room. I crawled under my blanket, but no amount of warmth could stop the chill running through me.
It wasn’t just the cold air, it was the betrayal. How could they do this to their own daughter, just for the sake of an adopted son?
It hit me like a ton of bricks. For them, I had always just been a stepping stone. Profit over people, that was what they believed.
Any sliver of love or loyalty I had left for them was completely gone in that moment.
The next morning, Dad handed me a phone, just like he said he would. But it wasn’t exactly shiny and new.
The box was dusty and he awkwardly wiped it with his sleeve before giving it to me.
"Savannah, graduation’s coming up soon. I got you a second-hand phone, almost like new, 90% at least. You should use this one. People might laugh if you’re still using that old thing when you start working," he said, pretending to be thoughtful.
I looked at him, then at Mom, who was practically beaming, waiting for me to thank them. But I just shook my head.
"No, Dad. This phone probably cost you two months' salary. You haven’t even paid back the money you borrowed for my tuition. You should return it," I said calmly.
They spent ages trying to convince me, but I didn’t budge. Eventually, Dad gave in, probably worried he would expose himself if he pushed too hard and returned it.
Mom looked pale, but she still forced a smile and called me "sensible." Watching them try so hard to keep up their act almost made me laugh.