Chapter 6 - MY MOTHER BLAMED MICHAEL
Mom came to my house two weeks later.
Uninvited.
Evan did not let her inside.
Good.
I spoke to her on the porch.
She looked exhausted.
Then she said something I never expected.
“Michael would have helped Madison.”
My chest went cold.
“Do not use my dead husband to defend this.”
“He loved family.”
“Yes.”
“Then he would understand.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“Michael would have wanted someone to ask me.”
Mom started crying.
“You always think rules matter more than people.”
There it was.
The family philosophy.
Rules are cruel when they stop us from getting what we want.
Boundaries are selfish when they inconvenience us.
Consent is unnecessary when our reason feels important enough.
I said:
“You stole from his daughter.”
Mom flinched.
Then:
“We saved Madison.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Doctors saved Madison.”
“You paid for part of it.”
She looked at me.
“Without asking.”
May you like
That distinction mattered.
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