Chapter 3

"Valerie, what's going on? Ryan said the mortgage didn't get paid," Larissa said, her brow furrowed in her usual tone of reproach. "The bank's been calling nonstop. This is terrible for our credit."

I set down my water glass. "Larissa, I'm at work. We'll talk later."

"Work? What could possibly be more important than family?" Her voice got louder. "Just send the money to Ryan already. He's a guy. He doesn't get how this stuff works."

"I don't get it either," I cut her off. "For five years, haven't you always been the one dealing with it?"

Larissa froze on the screen for a moment. She opened her mouth, clearly hadn't expected me to push back.

"What's with your attitude? Is it wrong for me to handle your money? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have saved a dime," she snapped.

"Then where's all that money you claim we saved?" I asked.

Her face flushed red. "Get back here right now. What kind of mother just runs off and leaves her kid for so long?"

"Jodie's with my mom. She's fine," I said calmly. "As for coming back, that's not happening anytime soon."

Ryan suddenly appeared on the screen, his eyes bloodshot like he hadn't slept in days.

"Honey, can you please stop making a fuss?" His voice was hoarse. "I know you're mad about the year-end bonus. I promise, next year I won't give it to Mom, okay?"

I looked at his face, exhausted, yet still so naive, and couldn't help but find it laughable.

"Ryan, I'm not making a fuss," I said.

"Then what's wrong with you? Is it really just because of 60 thousand dollars? Is it really that big of a deal?" he asked.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" I echoed, letting out a soft laugh. "I've transferred a total of 450 thousand dollars over 5 years. Do you still think it's not worth talking about?"

There was a dead silence on the other end.

That number clearly shocked them. For the first time in five years, I'd laid out the numbers so clearly.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Larissa was the first to snap back. "No way it's that much money!"

I said, "Want me to send you the details? Starting from our second year of marriage, there was Ryan's year-end bonuses, plus all the money you called 'investment funds' and all sorts of reasons."

I headed to my desk and flipped open my laptop. "I can send it to you right now."

"Are you seriously keeping score with me?" Larissa's voice went sharp. "Did I raise Ryan all for nothing? Did I send him to school for nothing? Now he's got a wife and forgot about me?"

And there it was, the classic guilt trip.

Ryan tried to soothe her, sounding weak. "Mom, please don't get upset."

Watching this tired old scene play out, I suddenly felt fed up.

"Larissa," I cut her off again, "if you think raising Ryan was such a loss for you, then from now on, you don't need to 'sacrifice' for us anymore."

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

"I mean, from now on, you deal with your own mess," I said.

I hung up the video call and turned off my phone.

Outside my window, the city lights of Pronburgh glittered like a sky full of stars.

But I knew the real storm was just getting started.

I was surprised when Ryan showed up at my apartment door in Pronburgh.

It wasn't that he managed to find my address. My delivery info was never a secret.

It was the way he looked, like he'd been through hell. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair was a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot. Anyone could tell this wasn't just some casual visit.

"What are you doing here?" I stood in the doorway, making it clear I wasn't letting him in.

"Honey." His voice was hoarse. "Can we talk?"

"I'm working," I said, glancing at my watch. "And you really shouldn't have left Jodie all alone at home."

"Mom's looking after her." He hurried to explain, "I took two days off and caught the earliest train here."

Neighbors passed by in the hallway, shooting us curious looks. In the end, I stepped aside and let him in.

He stood in the middle of the living room, taking in the simple, tidy one-bedroom apartment, his expression complex.

"Nice place," he managed a bitter smile. "Better than our home."

"Just get to the point. What's up?" I leaned against the dining table, arms crossed.

He took a deep breath. "The bank sent a final notice. If we don't pay the mortgage by next week, they'll start foreclosure proceedings."

I nodded, unfazed. "So?"

"So?" He looked at me like I'd stabbed him in the heart. "That's our home! Jodie grew up there. All our memories are there."

"That's your home," I shot back. "Ever since you handed your first year-end bonus straight to your mom, that place stopped being ours. It's just yours and hers now."

"There you go again!" Ryan suddenly got worked up, his voice cracking. "Are you really going to tear this family apart just for some money? Is it worth it?"

"Some money?" I snorted. "Ryan, do you know I've been paying 80% of the family expenses for five years? And you don't even know how much you earn."

He just stood there, mouth open, completely speechless.