Caleb eventually had to start paying his own rent after Dad admitted they couldn’t support two households anymore.
A month later, Mom sent a message.
“We only wanted security.”
I replied with one sentence.
“Security built on taking mine is theft.”
She never answered.
My house stayed peaceful.
The guest rooms remained empty until I invited people who understood the meaning of the word invitation.
And every time I walked past the front door, I remembered their faces when I said eight hundred sixty thousand dollars by morning.
They thought I was the daughter they could always take from.
They forgot I was also the daughter who finally learned how to protect what she earned.
