Chapter 4 The Scholarship And The Warning

The envelope arrived on a Wednesday afternoon, slipped between unpaid electricity bills and a worn-out grocery flyer. Amelia's mother nearly tossed it into the bin, mistaking it for another government notice. But the golden crest stamped across the top caught her eye.

Blackwood University.

Maria Hart's fingers trembled as she tore it open, her eyes scanning the words that confirmed what she feared most.

"Congratulations, Miss Amelia Hart.

You have been awarded a full scholarship to Blackwood University, sponsored directly by Mr. Richard Blackwood."

The air left her lungs in a slow, cold gasp. She staggered back, landing hard on the couch. Her daughter-her only child-was being offered a golden key by the very man who had ruined everything.

Amelia burst through the door minutes later, breathless and hopeful, her work apron still dusted with flour.

"Mom, did the mail come? Did-" Her eyes landed on the open envelope in her mother's lap.

Maria stared up at her with a pained expression. "You didn't tell me you applied to Richard's university , I thought it's Ellison Blackwood University" I never knew it was him

Amelia blinked. "I... I didn't. Not directly. I applied to several, but I didn't expect anything. I wasn't even sure I'd get in anywhere. And then..." She lifted the letter with reverence. "They said a man I helped on the street-Richard Blackwood-he submitted my name personally. He remembered me. Can you believe that?"

Maria's lips trembled. Her voice came out thin and brittle. "You cannot go."

"What?"

"I said-" she rose to her feet, "you cannot go to that school. Burn that letter if you have to. We'll find another way."

Amelia recoiled, stunned. "Why? This is everything we've been praying for. Mom, it's a full scholarship. We don't have to worry about tuition or dorms or even books. It's a miracle."

"It's a curse," Maria snapped.

Silence dropped like a curtain between them.

Maria turned away, pressing her fingers to her forehead. "That man... that family... he was your father's friend once. Until he stole everything from him. He left your father to die in that forest, Amelia. We lost everything because of him."

Amelia's breath caught. "What are you talking about? You've never-"

"I didn't want you to grow up filled with hate. Your father was a good man. Trusting. Too trusting. He found something in those woods... something valuable. He brought Richard with him, because they were like brothers. But Richard betrayed him. Took it all. Disappeared. Your father came back with nothing but blood on his hands and heartbreak in his chest. He died carrying that grief."

Amelia's knees buckled as she sat slowly onto the armrest. "You've kept this from me... all these years?"

"To protect you," Maria whispered. "And now, fate is playing cruel tricks again."

Amelia looked back at the letter, her eyes scanning the clean font, the Blackwood name in gold ink.

"Maybe it's not fate. Maybe it's a second chance. If he built a world with what he stole from Dad..." her voice hardened, "...then maybe it's time someone took something back."

Maria turned to her sharply. "You're not thinking of-"

"I'm not planning anything. Yet." Amelia folded the letter carefully, sliding it back into its envelope. "All I know is this may be the only door open to us. And I can't spend my life hiding from their name."

Maria reached for her hand, her eyes glassy with fear. "Promise me, Amelia. Promise me you won't lose yourself in that world."

Amelia met her mother's gaze.

"I won't," she whispered. "But maybe it's time they remember who they betrayed."