“I’ll put it back,” he said casually, as though it was nothing. A week later, he bought Madison a brand-new laptop for her birthday. On mine? A $75 gift card.

It wasn’t about the dollar amount. It was the message behind it.

Over the years, he kept tapping into the fund — for car repairs, home improvements, Madison’s competitions — things that had absolutely nothing to do with me. “It’s just temporary,” he always said. But the withdrawals piled up, and the “temporary” excuses got old.

By the time I started college, I didn’t need the trust fund for tuition thanks to my scholarship. But that didn’t stop him from finding new excuses to drain it. Every time I brought it up, he brushed me off. “Don’t stress, Ava. The money’s fine.”

“Fine.” Sure.