Mom sank onto the edge of the desk, her hands trembling in her lap. She looked smaller than I had ever seen her. The strong woman who had always protected me was now sitting before me, carrying years of pain and secrets.
“I was twenty when Arthur came to me,” she began, her voice unsteady. “Your father and I had just gotten engaged. We had dreams, but we had very little money. Arthur said he wanted to help students like us. People who were talented and hardworking but couldn't afford the opportunities they deserved.”
She paused, staring at the photograph in her hands.
“That was how the Bennett Foundation began. I signed the documents because I trusted him. He was my big brother, Lara. I believed he wanted to build something beautiful.”
I pulled a chair closer and sat beside her.
“What
