. To my surprise, it was my Aunt Linda, her arms full of groceries. “Emily! Oh my, what a surprise!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up with a genuine smile.”Aunt Linda!” I said, my heart swelling with joy. “I’ve missed you so much! How have you been?” As we hugged, Aunt Linda’s expression shifted slightly, and there was hesitance in her voice as she spoke. “I’m good, darling. Actually, I was just at a little get-together the family threw for me. It’s a pity you and Alex couldn’t make it.”My smile faltered. “A get-together? We didn’t know anything about it.” “Oh, that’s strange. But, Emily, there’s something else. Can I ask you something important?” Her tone was serious, filled with concern. “Of course, Aunt Linda. What is it?” I braced myself, sensing something was amiss.She took a deep breath and said, “Is what I heard about you true?” My heart sank. “I mean, your mom mentioned something that seems very out of character for you, and I wanted to see if it’s true.” “What did she say?” I asked. “She said you started working as a scammer, and that’s how you make a living. And that Alex helps because he’s like a ‘computer genius.’ I didn’t believe it, Emily, but…”I was stunned. “That’s not true, Aunt Linda. None of it. I can’t believe this!” My heart started racing, but I couldn’t control the tears streaming down my face. I had to confront this head-on. I called my parents, and as soon as their faces appeared on FaceTime, I didn’t waste a moment. “Mom, Dad, why are you lying about us being scammers? Aunt Linda told me everything.”Their expressions were unreadable. Dad looked straight into the camera and said bluntly, “Because you told us so.” “I never said any such thing!” I countered, frustration boiling over. “Why would you even say that?”Mom walked off, refusing to participate, while Dad’s tone grew harsh. “You must have amnesia then,” he snapped before trying to switch the subject. The conversation ended with no resolution, but I did not understand why my parents would spread such a rumor about me and my husband.I tried to get more information out of them, but they just kept insisting that I had said so. They even tried to downplay the whole ordeal, saying, “No one thinks any less of you because of it.” But how could they not see the damage they had caused?It was not even about what people had to say or think of me, but the fact that my parents did not understand how much they single-handedly disrespected me and my husband. They have literally stereotyped my husband, which is offensive and problematic in many ways. I tried to explain all this to them, but they were stubborn and did not want to be wrong. S