Part 3 — Trust has to be rebuilt
The following months were slow and untidy. I supplied the records requested, answered questions, and kept copies of everything. Some funds were eventually returned after the investigation. The remaining loss became part of a written repayment arrangement Luke agreed to with help from an independent adviser.
It was not a miracle. A first payment arrived, then a late one. When another deadline passed, I followed the process in the agreement instead of accepting a midnight promise.
Mum called that harsh. Anna called it overdue.
I changed the way I kept my financial information and stopped leaving documents where visiting relatives could see them. More difficult was changing the story I told myself: that saying no would prove I did not love my brother.
Luke and I met for coffee four months later. He brought no dramatic confession. He said he had started getting help for the behavior behind his debts. I hoped it was true, but I no longer treated hope as proof.
“I miss how we were,” he said.
“So do I.”
“Can we get that back?”
I watched someone outside lock a bicycle to a railing. The act gave me time to answer.
“We can build something different. If you keep showing up.”
He nodded. We finished our coffee. When the bill came, he paid for his own.
That evening, I opened the letter confirming I had completed my course. Anna had helped me keep the final payment on track. I framed the certificate, hung it above my desk, and finally let myself feel proud.
