No answer.
He asked again.
“Did Sarah really send you $550 every Friday?”
Mom responded:
“You don’t understand the circumstances.”
Danny typed:
“That wasn’t my question.”
The typing bubble appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Then Dad wrote:
“Yes.”
One word.
That was all it took.
The family chat exploded.
My cousin asked why they had never been told.
Aunt Linda said she remembered Mom complaining
that I “never did enough.”
Another aunt said she had been told I was financially irresponsible.
Someone else asked how they had afforded their weekend trip to Danny’s house.
Mom stopped responding.
Dad left the group chat.
Then Danny sent one final message.
“I’ve been paying their hotel and dinners when they visit me because Dad told me Sarah couldn’t afford to help them anymore.”
I stared at the screen.
Marcus slowly exhaled.
“So they were taking money from you and lying to him too.”
I nodded.
That was when my phone rang.
Dad.
I let it ring.
Then Mom.
I let that ring too.
Then Danny.
I answered.
“Sarah?”
His voice sounded different.
Not angry.
Confused.
“I didn’t know.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want a war.”
He was silent.
Then he asked,
“Did Lily really wait for them all afternoon?”
I looked toward
the hallway.
“Yeah.”
He sighed.
“I have a daughter too.”
“I know.”
“She wouldn’t forgive me if I did that to her.”
I closed my eyes.
“Then don’t.”
He was quiet for several seconds.
Finally, he said,
“I’ll talk to Mom and Dad.”
“You don’t have to talk to them for me.”
