Chapter 6 - A Photograph from Thirteen Years Ago
The championship suspended all evening results while the integrity team reviewed Preston’s photograph.
No student was disqualified.
Not yet.
That mattered.
But rumors filled the hotel before dinner.
Some parents believed my sons had cheated.
Others believed Nathan had cheated for Preston.
Most people knew nothing and spoke with complete confidence anyway.
I hated that part most.
Sixteen-year-olds were becoming entertainment.
The twins and I ate dinner privately in my hotel room.
Room-service pizza.
Three sodas.
No phones.
For twenty minutes, we talked about anything except Nathan.
Then Eli asked the question.
“Why did he really leave?”
I put down my slice.
“You know why.”
“We know the summary.”
Ethan nodded.
“Affair. Celeste. Divorce. Goodbye.”
Eli leaned forward.
“But why us?”
There are questions mothers spend years preparing to answer.
Then discover preparation is useless.
“I don’t know.”
Ethan looked surprised.
“I thought you always know.”
“Terrible burden you’ve placed on me.”
He smiled.
I continued.
“Your father was ambitious. He wanted a certain life. Success. Status. People admiring him.”
“And we interfered?” Eli asked.
“No.”
“But he thought we did.”
I sighed.
“Maybe.”
I went to my suitcase.
At the bottom was an old folder.
I traveled with it during major academic events because it contained copies of recusal documents and legal records related to the boys.
Inside was a photograph.
I had forgotten it was there.
I placed it on the table.
Nathan was twenty-nine.
I was twenty-five.
Each of us held a baby.
Eli in his arms.
Ethan in mine.
We were standing outside our first apartment.
Nathan was laughing.
Eli had one tiny fist wrapped around his father’s finger.
The twins stared at it.
Ethan touched the edge.
“He looks happy.”
“He was.”
“So what changed?”
“I wish I knew.”
Eli studied Nathan’s younger face.
“Do you still love him?”
“No.”
Too fast.
Ethan noticed.
I smiled sadly.
“I loved who I thought he was.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
I considered it.
“No. I don’t love Nathan anymore.”
“Do you hate him?”
That answer took longer.
“I did.”
“Past tense?”
“Mostly.”
Ethan leaned back.
“How?”
“Because hatred is expensive.”
They waited.
“It makes someone who already took years from you keep taking more.”
That silenced them.
Then Eli picked up the photograph.
“Can I keep this?”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
He tucked it into his notebook.
The next morning, the investigation expanded.
Competition officials discovered that Preston’s July photograph contained not one but three question structures later used in preliminary rounds.
The wording differed.
The variables changed.
The underlying models were nearly identical.
Someone had leaked drafting materials.
Nathan denied knowing anything.
Celeste denied everything too.
Preston voluntarily turned over his practice folders.
That decision changed the investigation.
His folders contained dozens of exercises supplied by Nathan.
Most were ordinary advanced problems.
Four appeared to derive from confidential championship drafts.
Preston was devastated.
He requested temporary withdrawal.
The board refused.
Not because we wanted scandal.
Because investigators believed Preston had not knowingly cheated.
He had been sixteen.
His father had given him practice material.
He trusted his father.
Punishing him immediately would have been premature.
Nathan hated that reasoning.
“You’re trying to humiliate him publicly.”
Professor Reed remained calm.
“Your son asked to withdraw.”
“He’s upset.”
“He’s showing integrity.”
Nathan glanced at me.
“This is her influence.”
Preston, standing behind him, finally snapped.
“No.”
Nathan turned.
“What?”
“This is me.”
“Preston—”
“I said this is me.”
I had never heard him raise his voice.
Neither had Nathan.
“You gave me those problems.”
Nathan lowered his tone.
“Practice problems.”
“You told me they came from university archives.”
“They did.”
“Which university?”
Nathan froze.
Preston stepped closer.
“Which one?”
“Don’t interrogate me.”
“You lied.”
Nathan’s face changed.
“I gave you every advantage.”
“You cheated.”
“No.”
“Then tell them where the questions came from.”
Nathan looked around.
Too many witnesses.
Celeste walked toward them.
“Nathan.”
He ignored her.
“I sacrificed everything for you.”
Preston laughed bitterly.
“What did you sacrifice?”
That question sliced through the room.
Nathan looked stunned.
Preston continued.
“You abandoned them.”
He pointed toward Eli and Ethan.
“You lied to me about them.”
“Preston.”
“You lied about Mara.”
“Enough.”
“And now I find out you may have been feeding me competition questions?”
Nathan grabbed his son’s arm.
Not violently.
But firmly.
I stepped forward.
So did Ethan.
Preston pulled away himself.
“Don’t.”
Nathan released him.
Everyone stared.
Preston’s breathing shook.
Then he looked at Eli.
“I’m sorry.”
Eli frowned.
“For what?”
“For all of it.”
“You didn’t do it.”
“My family did.”
Eli glanced at Ethan.
Then back at Preston.
“You’re also part of that family.”
Preston looked confused.
Eli continued.
“Which means you get to decide what kind of family member you are.”
For the first time, Preston started crying.
Quietly.
Embarrassed.
Ethan walked over.
He offered him a tissue.
“Don’t make this weird.”
Preston laughed through his tears.
“Too late.”
Across the room, Nathan watched all three boys together.
His sons.
Every one of them.
And something about the sight seemed to terrify him.
Then my phone rang.
It was Julian.
“Mara, we found the source.”
I stepped into the corridor.
“Who?”
He exhaled slowly.
“A championship consultant named Gregory Vale.”
I knew the name.
Everyone did.
Vale had served on curriculum development committees for six years.
“How is Nathan connected?”
Julian paused.
“That’s the problem.”
“What problem?”
“Bank records show Crowe Educational Foundation paid Vale seventy-five thousand dollars last year.”
My blood went cold.
“For what?”
“The invoices say consulting.”
“And what does Vale say?”
Another pause.
“He says Nathan paid him for early access.”
I closed my eyes.
“How long?”
“Mara…”
Julian’s voice dropped.
“Three years.”
Which meant Preston might have unknowingly practiced leaked material not only this year.
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But throughout his entire rise as Nathan Crowe’s celebrated golden child.
And if that became public, everything Preston had ever achieved was about to be questioned.
