Chapter 11 - The Forged Signatures
The next morning, I received a call from a detective named Ramirez.
He wanted to meet with me as soon as possible. When I arrived at the police station with Chloe, he already had several documents laid out on the table.
“Mia, we’ve been looking into the student loans taken out in your name,” he said. “We sent the signatures to a forensic expert. The results came back this morning.”
He slid a report across the table.
“Three different loan applications were submitted with your name and social security number. None of the signatures match your real handwriting. They were forged.”
I stared at the report.
Even though I had suspected it for a long time, seeing it confirmed in an official document still hit hard.
“Who forged them?” I asked.
Detective Ramirez looked at me seriously.
“We believe it was your mother. We compared the signatures to documents we obtained from her workplace. There’s a very high probability match.”
I sat back in the chair.
For four years, I had carried the weight of those loans. I had been terrified of the debt I thought I owed. And the entire time, it was my own mother who had signed my name.
Chloe reached over and held my hand under the table.
Detective Ramirez continued.
“We’re also looking into the scholarship money that was deposited into your father’s account. That alone could lead to multiple charges — theft, fraud, and possibly identity theft.”
I nodded slowly.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“We’re going to bring your parents in for questioning,” he said. “And we’ll need you to make an official statement.”
I looked down at the forged signatures one more time.
For the first time, I didn’t feel scared.
May you like
I felt ready.
Because the truth was finally catching up to them.
