She looked terrified.
Not one entry celebrated my grades.
Or promotions.
Or awards.
Only me.
The girl I’d never believed was enough.
Tears spilled onto the paper.
Matthew spoke quietly.
“I noticed something when we were fifteen.”
I couldn’t answer.
“You never lacked ability, Ashley.” His voice cracked. “You left before you could discover it.”
“I noticed something when we were fifteen.”
I remembered him watching me during debate tryouts.
Abandon art competitions.
Tear up applications.
“I kept thinking…” He swallowed hard. “…if fear made every decision for you… then maybe someone needed to stop fear.”
I looked up.
“So you became that someone.”
“I thought I was helping.”
“So you became that someone.”
“You lied. You manipulated me.”
“Yes.”
“You decided my future.”
“I…”
His answer died before it reached his lips.
I closed the journal.
“You never trusted me, Matthew.”
“You decided my future.”
His forehead creased.
