My Parents Asked About My Savings. I Lied.

"Jade, tell Mom, how much money have you saved?"

My mother's voice on the phone was laced with a probing curiosity.

I glanced at the numbers on my banking app: $5,243,657.89.

But I didn't tell her the truth. After a moment of silence, I said, "Mom, just a little over fifty thousand, I guess."

"Only fifty thousand? You've been working for ten years, how is that even possible?" My mother's tone was thick with suspicion.

Three days later, my doorbell rang. My parents stood at the threshold, their faces grim.