The marks I didn't earn.

I graduated as a doctor with my family crying in the front row, cameras flashing, everyone proud. What none of them knew was that I hadn't been completely honest along the way. During my final years, when the pressure became unbearable, I cut corners. I looked where I shouldn't have. I took answers that weren't mine. Not all the time ' but enough to make a difference. I passed exams I might otherwise have failed. I tell myself I learned the material eventually. I tell myself I haven't harmed anyone. But every time I sign a chart, every time a patient puts their life in my hands, I feel the weight of that lie sitting quietly beneath the white coat.