PART 1

Danielle’s hands shook as she read through the pages. “This is a mistake,” she whispered, but the confidence she had arrived with was already disappearing. “Your parents said this was handled. They said this was ours.” I looked at her calmly. “It was handled,” I said. “By me. With my money. And the title has my name on it. No one else’s.” Behind her, Tyler stood frozen, still holding a lamp as though putting it down would somehow make the situation real.

Mom suddenly began pleading. “Corinne, sweetheart, we can work this out as a family.” I almost laughed at the word. Family seemed to appear whenever someone needed something from me. Danielle turned toward my parents, clutching the folder. “You told us we owned it!” she shouted.

Dad had been silent all afternoon, staring at the floor. Finally, he raised his head.

“We never said that,” he said quietly. “We said we’d help with a deposit. On a rental. Nearby.”

The room went completely silent.