For Four Years My Parents Told Everyone I Was in Prison

The sheriff flipped another page.

Then another.

Then another.

His expression darkened.

Mr. Greer moved closer.

“What is it?”

The sheriff looked up.

“Fraud.”

The word landed like a bomb.

My stomach dropped.

Not because I was surprised.

Because suddenly pieces started fitting together.

The lies.

The rumors.

The prison story.

The isolation.