I stared at the screen for a few seconds after she hung up.

“Open a formal fraud dispute.”

A pause.

“We’ll freeze the card immediately and begin an investigation. We’ll require a written statement.”

“You’ll have it.”

I hung up.

Something inside me shifted permanently in that moment.

I didn’t sleep that night.

I combed through past statements and saw the pattern I had ignored for years.

$400 at a boutique I never visited.continue reading …