That was the moment I understood she wasn’t sorry.
She was cornered.
“Don’t use Grandma as a shield,” I said. “If you cared about her, you would have shown up when nobody was watching.”
Belle’s jaw tightened.
“I have a life. I have responsibilities.”
“And I have receipts,” I said. “You wrote them. I just saved them.”
Her eyes narrowed like she was measuring how far she could push.
“So, what’s the plan?” she snapped. “You’re going to ruin the family. You’re going to embarrass Mom. You always want to be the victim.”
The old label.
The same one they used whenever I refused to shrink.
I stood and opened my door.
“I’m going to Grandma’s birthday,” I said. “Because she invited me. What happens there depends on whether you can stop lying long enough to face what you did.”
Belle rose slowly, smoothing her dress like she was resetting her mask.
