“And?”

“And I mailed you my graduation announcement.”

My father lowered his eyes.

“It said Suffolk University Law School.”

Nobody moved.

My mother whispered, “I don’t remember that.”

“I do.”

Brenda folded her arms.

“So we’re bad parents. That doesn’t prove malicious intent.”

Mr. Avery looked at her.

“No. But something else may.”

He removed a sheet of paper.

Brenda’s face changed instantly.

Barely.

But enough.

I saw it.

Judge Morland did too.

Mr. Avery continued.

“Ms. Brenda Hamilton, did you contact the law firm of Mercer, Vale & Bishop six weeks ago?”

My breath caught.

My firm.

Brenda stared at him.

She said nothing.

“Ms. Hamilton?”

“I may have.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to verify my sister worked there.”

“Did you?”

Her mouth tightened.

“Yes.”

Mr. Avery glanced at the page.

“According to an affidavit from the firm’s managing partner, you were informed that your sister was a senior trial attorney.”

My mother turned toward Brenda.

“What?”

Brenda went pale.

The room shifted again.

Mr. Avery continued.

“You were also directed to Ms. Hamilton’s public professional biography, which listed her education, bar admission, representative cases, awards, and speaking engagements.”

My father slowly turned.

“Brenda?”

She kept staring ahead.

Judge Morland’s voice cooled.

“So before you filed a sworn complaint claiming there was ‘no way’ your sister had passed the bar, you had already confirmed with her employer that she was a practicing attorney.”

Brenda’s composure cracked.

“I thought they were covering for her.”

Silence followed so completely I could hear her breathing.

Judge Morland leaned forward.

“You believed an established law firm had fabricated a senior attorney’s identity?”

Brenda’s cheeks reddened.

“I didn’t know what to believe.”

“That is not what your complaint says.”

Mr. Avery slid another paper forward.

“You also emailed Suffolk University.”

Brenda looked at him.

My mother whispered, “You did what?”

“And received confirmation that privacy rules prevented disclosure beyond publicly available commencement records. You then accessed the archived commencement program.”

He paused.

“Your sister’s name appears in it.”

Brenda stayed silent.

My father shifted his chair several inches away from her.

That tiny movement hurt more than I expected.

Not because I wanted him to defend me.

Because I understood exactly what it meant.

He wasn’t horrified by what she had done.

He was distancing himself from it.

Judge Morland turned toward my parents.

“When did your daughter tell you she believed Ms. Hamilton was impersonating an attorney?”

My mother swallowed.

“About two months ago.”