“It’s seems cruel that I’ll have to give up delicious things like pizza and ice cream just when I’ve rediscovered them,” my mom says.

“We should call that prison guy. Ask if they have pizza in the big house,” Isla says.

“Do you guys have any questions for me? About all this? That’s what the therapist we talked to said we should do.” Bingo, I think. “Let’s open this up to questions.”

Isla gives me a side-eye, obviously thinking the same thing I am: No expert left unconsulted in this family.

“I mean, everything I said on 20/20 was true, but you might have your own thoughts.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Why what?” my mom asks. “The cheek implants? As I was saying, with aging in particular, you can get a little hollowed out.”

“No! Why did you do this, all of this, any of this? I would have gotten into college, maybe not SCC, but somewhere, without you committing a felony. Why did you do this to us?” I ask, and I realize once the question is out that this is the part that I still can’t quite understand, no matter how many times I turn it over in my mind. I have a trust fund. It’s not like I was going to starve if I went to AIU.

“You’re going to find this ironic, but you know what hooked me with Dr. Wilson? Not only finding the easy way for you into school, Chlo, that perfect side door, because that of course was part of it, I’m not going to lie. I’ve grown a little too used to being able to buy what I want without repercussions. I’ve worked my ass off all these years and figured you should get the benefit of that. But what really got me is that he told me that everyone else was doing it. I’m fifty years old, and that’s what sold me: All the cool kids are doing it,” my mom says. “I thought if I didn’t, you’d be left behind. I thought—and this is ridiculous in retrospect—I thought it meant I was a good mom.”

“That’s not why I was in,” my dad confesses, and his voice gets thick. “Honestly, for me it was as simple as if I can do this for you, why wouldn’t I? It seemed like a no-brainer. My parents basically left me to fend for myself. I was practically feral. I fought so hard to get here, and what for? So I can give you girls the whole world. You do everything you can for your kids. It didn’t even occur to me to not do it. It didn’t occur to me that we could get caught.”

“No, you don’t do everything for your kids,” Isla says.