I felt something inside me settle—not peace, not yet, but clarity.
“Did you know the money came from my grandmother’s trust?”
“No.”
“Did you ever ask?”
His silence answered.
My mother’s voice was barely audible.
“How much do we owe?”
“Enough that Garrett owns the roof over your head.”
“He said it was an investment arrangement,” my father said quickly. “He promised we could buy the property back once my credit recovered.”
“Has your credit recovered?”
“That is not the point.”
“It is exactly the point.”
My mother stood.
“Why would Garrett hide this from me?”
I looked at the earrings in her ears.
“Because people are easier to control when they don’t know the price of what they’ve accepted.”
The words sounded like something Priya might have said. Or perhaps something my grandmother would have understood.
My mother’s face hardened.
“You’re enjoying this.”
