Chapter 2: The Secret Hidden in Her Phone
Claire stared at the envelope in my father’s hand like it was something dangerous.
For the first time that afternoon, she didn’t look confident.
She didn’t look superior.
She looked scared.
“Dad… where did you get that?”” she whispered.
My father didn’t answer immediately.
He walked past her and placed the envelope on the dining table.
The same table where Claire had celebrated her birthday last year.
The same table where we had eaten holiday dinners.
The same table where she had smiled at everyone while secretly tearing people apart when they weren’t looking.
“Open it,” my father said.
Claire swallowed.
“What is this?””
“You know exactly what it is.””
Her eyes flickered toward me.
That tiny movement told me everything.
She wasn’t confused.
She was calculating.
Trying to figure out what I knew.
I stood there silently, still holding the broken pieces of my scholarship letter.
A few minutes earlier, I had felt powerless.
Now, watching my father stand in the middle of the room, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Hope.
Claire crossed her arms.
“You’re making this sound worse than it is.””
My father’s expression didn’t change.
“Open the envelope.””
“Dad—”
“Claire.””
One word.
That was all it took.
My sister slowly reached forward.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she opened the envelope.
She pulled out a stack of papers.
At first, she looked confused.
Then her face changed.
The color drained from her cheeks.
“What is this?””
My father looked at her.
“You tell me.””
She stared down.
I couldn’t see everything from where I stood, but I saw enough.
There were printed screenshots.
Emails.
Documents.
A list of dates.
My stomach tightened.
“What’s going on?”” I asked.
My father looked at me, and his expression softened for just a second.
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to show you this.””
Claire immediately stepped forward.
“No. Absolutely not.””
My father raised an eyebrow.
“Not what?””
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain it.””
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
My grandmother shifted in her chair.
“Can someone please tell me what’s happening?””
My father turned toward her.
“Mom, you wanted to know why Claire destroyed that letter?””
My grandmother frowned.
“I think everyone is overreacting.””
My father’s eyes narrowed.
“No. Everyone has been ignoring this for too long.””
The room went quiet.
I looked at Claire.
She looked smaller now.
Not innocent.
Just exposed.
My father tapped the papers.
“For months, I’ve been receiving messages from people asking why Claire has been spreading rumors about her sister.””
My heart stopped.
“What rumors?””
Claire immediately snapped.
“Dad, don’t.””
But he continued.
“She told people that you only got your scholarship because I had connections at the university.””
I felt a strange emptiness in my chest.
I looked at Claire.
“Why would you say that?””
She looked away.
My father continued.
“She told your classmates that you weren’t actually qualified.””
“That’s not true,” Claire said quickly.
My father lifted another paper.
“Then why did you send this message?””
He turned the page around.
Even from across the room, I recognized the screenshot.
A group chat.
My name was there.
My photo.
And underneath it were Claire’s words.
She acts like she’s better than everyone because she got lucky.
My hands tightened around the torn letter.
I couldn’t believe it.
Not because Claire disliked me.
I already knew that.
But because she had spent so much energy trying to convince other people to dislike me too.
“Claire,” I said quietly.
She looked at me.
“Why?””
Her expression hardened.
“Why what?””
“Why did you do this?””
She laughed once.
But there was no humor in it.
“You really don’t know?””
“No.””
“You never noticed?””
I stared at her.
“Noticed what?””
Her eyes became wet.
Not with regret.
With anger.
“You never noticed that every time you succeeded, everyone looked at me like I failed.””
The words hung in the air.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Claire wiped at her face.
“When you got awards, Mom and Dad were proud.””
“They’re proud of you too,” I said.
She laughed.
“No, they’re proud of the version of me they wish I was.””
“That’s not true.””
“Yes, it is.””
Her voice grew louder.
“You were always the responsible one. The smart one. The one teachers loved.””
I lowered my eyes.
Because I understood something then.
Claire wasn’t jealous of one scholarship.
She had been carrying this resentment for years.
But understanding someone’s pain didn’t excuse what they did with it.
“You could have talked to me,” I said.
She looked at me.
“And what would you have said?””
“The truth.””
“The truth?”” she repeated.
She stepped closer.
“The truth is that you don’t even realize how easy things are for you.””
I almost laughed.
Easy?
She had no idea.
She didn’t know how many nights I cried quietly because I was afraid I wouldn’t be good enough.
She didn’t know how many times I almost quit.
She only saw the result.
Never the struggle.
My father picked up another document.
“That still doesn’t explain why you hacked into her scholarship portal.””
The room froze.
I looked at him.
“What?””
Claire’s face went completely white.
My grandmother sat up.
“What did he say?””
My father looked directly at Claire.
“Tell them.””
“No.””
“Tell them.””
“I didn’t do anything.””
My father unlocked his phone.
“I have the records.””
Claire’s breathing changed.
A nervous, uneven rhythm.
My father placed his phone on the table.
“The university security department contacted me three weeks ago.””
My eyes widened.
“Why?””
“Because someone attempted to change your scholarship application information.””
I felt a cold feeling move through my body.
“What information?””
My father looked at me.
“Your recommendation documents.””
I stared.
Someone had tried to change my application?
Someone had tried to make me lose the scholarship before I even got it?
Claire shook her head quickly.
“No. No, that wasn’t me.””
My father stared at her.
“Then why was your email connected to the login attempt?””
Silence.
The kind of silence that hurts.
Claire looked around the room.
Searching.
Looking for someone to defend her.
But nobody moved.
Even my grandmother looked shocked.
“I… I can explain,” Claire whispered.
My father folded his arms.
“I’m listening.””
She looked at me.
Then away.
“I was just angry.””
“That’s not an explanation.””
“I didn’t think it would work!””
My chest tightened.
Those words.
Not “I didn’t do it.””
Not “I’m sorry.””
I didn’t think it would work.
My father’s face became colder.
“So you admit you tried?””
Claire immediately covered her mouth.
She realized too late.
I felt like the room was spinning.
My own sister had tried to destroy the opportunity I had spent years earning.
And the scholarship letter was only the final step.
The scissors weren’t the beginning.
They were the moment she stopped hiding.
My father picked up her phone.
“Do you know why I took this?””
Claire stared at him.
“Because you’re punishing me?””
“No.””
He unlocked the screen.
“Because I found something else.””
Her eyes widened.
“What?””
My father turned the phone around.
I couldn’t see the screen, but Claire could.
And whatever she saw made her completely freeze.
“Dad…”
Her voice cracked.
“You weren’t supposed to find that.””
My grandmother looked between them.
“What is it?””
My father didn’t answer.
He looked at me instead.
And somehow, that was worse.
Because I knew whatever was on that phone involved me.
“What did you find?”” I asked.
My father slowly placed the phone on the table.
Then he said:
“The reason Claire was so desperate to ruin your scholarship wasn’t because she hated your success.””
He looked at my sister.
“She was trying to hide her own failure.””
Claire’s eyes filled with panic.
“Dad, please.””
But he continued.
“Because tomorrow morning, the university was going to send a letter.””
My heart started pounding.
“What kind of letter?””
My father looked at the envelope in Claire’s hands.
Then at me.
“A letter that would change everything.””
Claire took a step backward.
“No…”
My father’s voice became quiet.
“The letter wasn’t for you.””
May you like
He looked directly at my sister.
“It was about Claire.””
