She tried again.
“Your sister has turned against me because of you.”
“Lauren made her own choice.”
“Your father is humiliating me.”
“Dad is handling his finances.”
“And you’re standing here enjoying it.”
“No. I’m standing in my driveway.”
That seemed to anger her more than shouting ever could have.
She moved closer.
“After everything I did for you.”
I studied her carefully.
“What did you do for me, Mom?”
Her mouth opened.
No words came out.
“I’m not saying you never fed me, housed me, drove me to school, bought birthday presents, or helped me when I was young. You were my mother. But you’ve spent years turning ordinary parenting into a debt I’m expected to repay forever while pretending every accomplishment I have came from you.”
“You ungrateful—”
“And you called Lily a burden.”
Her expression shifted.
“I was angry.”
“She heard you.”
“I didn’t mean her.”
“You pointed at her.”
Diane glanced toward the front window.
Lily’s small face appeared behind the curtain before Ethan gently guided her away.
For one moment, Mom looked uncertain.
Then her pride returned.
“So you’re keeping my granddaughter away from me now?”
“I’m protecting my daughter from someone who treated her cruelly.”
“I said one thing.”
“You did one thing that ended years of excuses.”
She stared at me.
“What do you want, an apology?”
“I’m not asking you for anything.”
That was when she finally understood.
She couldn’t bargain because I wasn’t negotiating. She couldn’t threaten to withdraw money because I didn’t need it. She couldn’t threaten to tell relatives stories because I had already shown them the records. And she couldn’t make me chase after her approval because I had stopped running.
