And at the bottom—

my signature.

Except I had never signed anything.

“This is fake.”

“I know.”

“How did they get this information?”

Dad looked sick.

“They had copies.”

“Copies of what?”

He rubbed his forehead.

“Tax returns. Employment paperwork. Old financial files.”

I stared at him.

“Why would Karen have those?”

His eyes dropped.

Because suddenly we both knew.

Karen had access to his filing cabinet.

And years earlier, while applying for my mortgage, I had left copies of financial documents at Dad’s house.

I stood.

“She stole my identity.”

Dad whispered:

“I think so.”

I called Rachel immediately.

She told me not to contact Karen.

Not to confront Mia.

Not to sign anything.

Then she said something that made it worse.

“Thomas, freeze your credit tonight.”

I did.

And that was when I found the first hard inquiry.

Then another.

Someone had been trying to use my financial information for months.