My parents laughed behind him.

What they didn’t know—what none of them understood—was that the account Jason had emptied wasn’t truly mine to use freely. Most of that money had been placed there under a court-controlled arrangement after my aunt’s death, and every transaction was monitored.

And by the time Jason threw me out, the bank’s fraud department had already begun calling.

I spent that first night in my car behind a twenty-four-hour grocery store, parked under a flickering light with my suitcase in the back seat and my heart pounding so hard I thought I might be sick.

At 11:17 p.m., my phone rang again from an unknown number—the third time. I finally answered.

“Ms. Claire Bennett?” a woman asked.

“Yes.”

“This is Natalie from Fifth River Bank’s fraud prevention department. We detected unusual withdrawals and attempted to reach you several times. Did you authorize cash withdrawals totaling twenty-nine thousand dollars and a wire transfer of eight thousand four hundred dollars today?”

“No,” I said immediately. “My brother stole my ATM card.”

Her tone sharpened. “Do you have possession of the card now?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We’re freezing the account. Given the volume and pattern of withdrawals, this has been flagged for internal review. I also need to ask—do you know the source of the funds in the savings account?”

I closed my eyes.

“Yes,” I said. “It’s part of a restricted disbursement connected to my aunt’s wrongful death settlement.”

There was a brief pause.

“I see,” Natalie said carefully. “Then you need to come into the branch first thing in the morning. Bring identification and any related documentation you have. If these funds were withdrawn by an unauthorized person, this may involve both law enforcement and probate compliance.”

I thanked her, hung up, and sat motionless in the driver’s seat.