Mom sent a message.
Please don’t do something you’ll regret.
I stared at those words.
What would I regret?
Not paying for a boyfriend I hadn’t invited?
Not rewarding somebody who had struck me?
Not letting my father order me around?
I slipped the phone into my purse.
Security was busy but moving steadily.
I joined the line.
As I waited, I noticed the woman in front of me staring at my cheek.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
I almost said yes automatically.
Instead, I answered honestly.
“I’ve had a difficult morning.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile.
“Travel can bring out the worst in people.”
I looked down at my cracked sunglasses.
“Sometimes it just makes it harder for people to hide who they already are.”
She nodded as though she understood.
At the checkpoint, I showed my identification and boarding pass.
My ticket was valid.
My flight was on schedule.
For one brief moment, everything felt simple.
I was an adult woman with a paid ticket.
I had somewhere to go.
And nobody was entitled to stop me.
After security, I bought a bottle of water and sat near my departure gate.
My phone displayed seventeen missed calls.
I ignored them.
Then an unfamiliar number appeared.
I almost let it ring.
But something made me answer.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Parker?”
“Yes.”
“This is Melissa Grant from the travel agency. I’m calling from our office line because I couldn’t reach you through the earlier callback attempt.”
My stomach tightened.
“Is something wrong with my ticket?”
“No. Your ticket is fine.”
“Then what happened?”
“There’s been another call.”
I closed my eyes.
“Brooke?”
“We can’t confirm the caller’s identity. But someone contacted us and demanded that we reinstate the canceled itineraries.”
“Did you?”
“Absolutely not.”
I released a breath.
Melissa continued.
“The caller also insisted that the full reservation belonged to your father.”
I gave a humorless laugh.
“Of course.”
“We explained that any new bookings or ticket changes would have to follow the proper authorization and payment procedures.”
“Good.”
“But Allison, that’s not the only reason I called.”
Her voice had changed.
“Go ahead.”
“While reviewing your file, I noticed a second payment request connected to the original anniversary package.”
I frowned.
“¿Qué solicitud de pago?”
“Nunca se completó. Nuestro sistema lo rechazó porque faltaba la autorización.”
Me senté más erguida.
“¿Cuánto cuesta?”
“Cuatro mil ochocientos dólares.”
Se me secó la boca.
“¿Para qué?”
Melissa hizo una pausa.
“Un paquete de actualización solicitado hace tres días.”
“¿Por quién?”
“La solicitud se presentó utilizando su nombre.”
Observé a la multitud que embarcaba en un vuelo al otro lado del pasillo.
“¿Y cuál fue la mejora?”
Melissa respiró hondo.
“Una excursión privada adicional, un paquete gastronómico ampliado y un cambio en la organización de la villa para los huéspedes.”
Cerré los ojos.
Brooke.
Tenía que ser Brooke.
Entonces Melissa añadió un detalle más.
“La solicitud también incluía una nota que decía que tus padres ya habían aprobado el cargo.”
Dejé de respirar por un segundo.
“Melissa, léeme la nota.”
Ella dudó.
“Allison, creo que deberías verlo tú misma.”
Me apareció un nuevo correo electrónico en la pantalla.
Abrí el archivo adjunto.
Se incluyó un breve mensaje en la solicitud de reserva.
Y al final había un nombre.
No es de Brooke.
De mi padre.
