The classmate, a tall man named Dr. David Vance, took my arm gently and guided me away from the crowd toward a quiet hallway behind the auditorium.
“I’m sorry to stop you like this,” David said, his eyes filled with intense seriousness. “But I’ve watched you work yourself to the bone for four years, coming to campus with coffee, dropping off Marcus’s dry cleaning, and looking exhausted while he acted like a king.”
I clutched the thick divorce papers against my chest, my hands trembling violently. “What are you talking about, David? He… he just left me. He got his degree and discarded me.”
“He didn’t just discard you, Sarah,” David whispered, leaning in closer. “He stole from you.”
My heart skipped a beat. “What?”
“Did Marcus ever tell you how he suddenly managed to cover his final two years of clinical rotations?” David asked, pulling a sleek tablet out of his leather messenger bag. “He told you he got a specialized academic grant, right?”
“Yes,” I stammered. “A private merit scholarship…”
David tapped the screen and handed the tablet to me. “There was no merit scholarship, Sarah. That grant was awarded to you four years ago when you deferred your enrollment.”
I stared down at the screen. Displayed before me was an official university document bearing my name, dated four years back.
“Because you were top of our class before you dropped out, the faculty board approved a full, deferred hardship scholarship in your name that could be converted into a transferable stipend for dependants,” David explained, his voice low and urgent.
“Marcus forged your power of attorney two years ago. He diverted your entire $120,000 scholarship fund directly into his personal account to pay off his remaining tuition and cover his high-end lifestyle.”
