But this wasn’t subtle. This was abandonment.
When we got home, I ran a hot bath for Lily and made her grilled cheese, cutting it into perfect triangles the way she liked. I sat beside the tub, watching color return to her cheeks.
“Are Grandma and Grandpa mad at me?” she asked softly.
“No,” I said firmly. “They made a bad choice.”
That night, after Lily was asleep, I opened my laptop.
For the first time in years, I examined everything.
Mortgage transfers. Insurance drafts. School tuition checks. Emergency “loans” never repaid. Credit card bailouts. Vacation deposits.
The total over four years made my stomach twist.
$412,000.
I stared at the number.
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