“You’re just a girl—what do you need the master bedroom for? Tonight you can sleep on the couch. Your brother and your father can’t be allowed to suffer.”
Mom hadn’t uttered a single word of concern for me. Instead, she lashed out, accusing me of being ungrateful.
All my life, I had never had a bed of my own. As a child, I shared with Grandma Rose. And now, even as an adult, they wanted to take it from me.
Daniel and Dad stayed silent, as though none of this concerned them.
I drew in a long breath. I wouldn’t endure it like I had as a child. If they wanted to force money out of me, it wasn’t going to happen.
“Mom!”
I grabbed Ethan by the collar, making him wail. For a moment, it looked like I was going to toss him down the stairs.
“You dare! You crazy woman! How could I have given birth to something like you?”
Mom slapped her thigh in panic, tears streaming down her face. Megan was terrified too, but she still refused to give in. The two men in the room didn’t even look up from the television.
So this was who my mother protected with all her heart.