Chapter 2
My answer hit Thalia like a slap in the face.
She finally snapped—crying her eyes out and causing a total scene.
"Mom! How can you be so selfish? Do I even matter to you as your daughter anymore?" Thalia wailed. "Other parents would move heaven and earth to give their kids a home, but all you care about is yourself.
"Can you really live with yourself after letting me down like this? Would Grandma and Grandpa forgive you for what you're doing?"
Alex jumped in right away, fanning the flames.
"Mrs. Sweeney, if you do this, Thalia will be humiliated in front of my family. What will my parents think of her?" Alex said.
He added, "If you won't help us out, I'll have no choice but to break up with Thalia. I can't just let her spend her whole life stuck in a rental, struggling with me."
In my previous life, I totally fell for his "break up" threat.
I was terrified people would talk behind Thalia's back if she couldn't get married.
But now, I just watched him with a cool, detached gaze.
"That's between you two," I replied. "Maybe you guys should let it go for a bit and really see if your relationship is as strong as you think.
"If it all falls apart just because you don't get that 150 thousand dollars, maybe money means more to you than love."
Just then, the door swung open and Jude came in, carrying a bag of groceries.
He paused at the doorway, taken aback by the standoff unfolding in front of him.
"What's going on here? Why are you guys arguing about?" Jude asked.
Before Thalia or Alex could start griping, I laid my decision out for Jude.
Jude plopped the groceries onto the floor and smacked his thigh in agreement.
"That's exactly what we should do," he declared, backing me up. "I've wanted to say this for years.
"We busted our tails all our lives—why let Thalia and Alex pick us clean down to the bone just because they want more?
"It's our money—they have no say. We earn it, we spend it, and that's the way it should be."
Seeing Jude and me standing firm together, Thalia knew there was no way she'd get a single cent out of us today.
Her face drained of color—she was furious. She pointed at us, her voice shaking with anger.
"Fine! You two are both so heartless," she shouted. "Wait till I tell everyone in the family how you treat your own daughter. You two just wait."
With that, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Alex rushed after her.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, my sister Macy Olsen called.
The moment I picked up, Macy let me have it—no holding back.
"Daniella, are you out of your mind? Thalia is such a good kid—how could you treat her this way?" Macy said. "It's just 150 thousand dollars.
"How could you expect her to ever hold her head high in front of her in-laws again? You're not just hurting her finances—you're humiliating her.
"How could a mother be so cold?"
I let her finish chewing me out, then replied, cool as a cucumber, "Macy, you care so much about Thalia and think I'm a heartless mother.
"How about you, as the doting aunt, chip in the 150 thousand she's missing for the house down payment?"
The line went totally silent.
After a few seconds, Macy gave a couple of awkward coughs. "Uh, something just came up on my end, so I'm gonna have to hang up now."
She hung up before I could even get another word out.
For the next hour, my phone blew up with calls from various relatives. Everyone lined up to "set me straight."
I didn't lose my cool or get into arguments. I just tossed the same question right back at each of them.
I repeated, "Since you care about Thalia so much, why not give her the money yourself?"
Half an hour later, the calls finally stopped.
That night, Thalia sent me a message. [You just wait. This isn't over—you'll regret this.]
I stared at those words, expressionless, and blocked her right away.
Regret?
In my previous life, I tore myself apart over my regrets, even died over it.
This time? Thalia would be the one who'd be living with regret.
I figured after I made myself crystal clear, Alex and Thalia would finally leave me alone for a while.
But nope—just three days later, Thalia and Alex showed up at my door, hauling all their stuff like they were ready to set up camp right in my living room.
When I opened the door, Alex greeted me with a smile.
"Mrs. Sweeney, please don't be upset. Thalia and I have thought it through," he said. "We understand if you can't buy the house for us. It's your retirement money, after all."
As he spoke, he started lugging their suitcases inside like he owned the place.
Thalia quickly jumped in, plastering on a smile.
She said, "Yeah, Mom! We're moving in with you and Dad. It'll be so much fun—just one big, happy family under one roof.
"We'll be here every day to take care of you, pitch in with the chores, and make sure you're taken care of all the way until you pass."
I instantly knew what they were up to.
Since they couldn't squeeze any house money out of me, they decided they'd just move in instead.
Free food, free place to crash, and in their minds, they'd end up inheriting the whole house.
I watched the way they shamelessly tried to take advantage, scoffing to myself, but I just put on a polite smile.
I said, "Alright then, welcome home.
"But to keep things nice and smooth while we're living together, let's handle it your way—you know, with all that 'cutting ties and setting boundaries' stuff. Let's get super clear about exactly who's responsible for what.
While Thalia and Alex traded confused glances, I turned around and fished a printed-out Family Rental and Responsibilities Agreement from the TV stand drawer—a document I'd already had looked over by a lawyer.