She closed the folder and folded her hands.
“But litigation will take months, maybe years. It’ll cost all of you emotionally.”
I looked at Graham. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
“Is there another option?” I asked.
Let a judge decide how much your reputation is worth.
The lawyer nodded once.
“Yes.”
The next morning, I stood at my parents’ door. But this time, I wasn’t scared. I was determined.
“Here’s how this ends,” I said. “You privately repay Graham’s family everything you owe: the loan, the interest, and every dollar his mother should never have had to spend. Or I file suit tomorrow morning and let a judge decide how much your reputation is worth.”
My mother’s face turned pale.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I’m sorry. For all of it.
“Try me.”
“Fine,” she whispered. “Fine.”
The meeting happened a week later. My father wouldn’t look at me. My mother’s hands shook as she signed the check for the figure my lawyer slid across the table.
