A stamped bank modification certificate came up on the screen, issued by the student loan servicing authority in Portland.

Arthur Collins had filed a formal release request forty-eight months ago, removing his name and his legal guarantee from my four remaining loan balances.

“Look at this timestamp,” I said as Monica walked into the kitchen carrying two glasses of water.

Monica leaned over my shoulder and pointed at the black ink validation mark on the PDF.

“He filed that release the same week Chelsea defaulted on her boutique store credit line.”

“He spent four years telling me his credit rating was damaged because he guaranteed my engineering degree,” I said, keeping my eyes on the exact numbers.