At a family dinner, my husband chose his relatives over me and told me to apologize or leave. So I left with our son, our passports, and two one way tickets. By the time they realized we were gone, I had already sent the pr00f that ruined their lies.

Patricia laughed. “Exactly. That’s the problem. You always choose yourself first.”

Daniel’s brother Mark snorted. His wife Lacey whispered something that made their teenage daughter giggle.

My face burned.

“I pay half the mortgage,” I said. “I pay for Noah’s daycare. I paid off Daniel’s credit card last year.”

Daniel’s fork hit his plate.

“Emily,” he warned.

But Patricia leaned forward.

“There it is. Always keeping score. No wonder my son looks miserable.”

Something inside me snapped.

“No,” I said, my voice shaking. “Daniel looks miserable because he lies to you and expects me to protect him.”