At Christmas Dinner, My Dad Handed Out 37 Gifts—Then Told My Daughter She Wasn’t “On the List.” I Just Said, “Okay. Goodbye.” Minutes Later, A Call Asked: “Can You Confirm the Cancellation?”

My phone buzzed on the coffee table. It was a message from Maria this time. She wrote that my parents were telling everyone there had been a misunderstanding, that my dad had only been talking about good behavior in general and I had overreacted. She said Mom was already telling people I had embarrassed them for years, that I only showed up when I wanted to show off or ask for help, that I stormed out like a child and canceled the renovation out of spite.

I swallowed hard. None of it surprised me, but seeing the words still stung.

Then Maria added something else.

“Lily left her backpack here last night. It’s still by the coat rack. Her homework and her tablet are inside.”

I closed my eyes for a second. Of course. In the rush to get out, I had forgotten. That tablet had all of Lily’s school apps, including the one for the big assignment she was excited about all week, the one she kept calling “My Christmas With Family.”

I opened my eyes and looked at James.

“She left her things there,” I said. “Her tablet. Her backpack. We need to go anyway.”

James nodded once.

“Then let’s not sneak around anymore,” he said. “Let’s walk in with our eyes open.”