Three months after I left, Mom sent me a photograph of a letter from the bank. It was a notice of default. She said they were charging late fees and that the house could be at risk. Brent followed with an angry message: “You need to fix this before we lose everything!” I forwarded the notice to my attorney, Sarah Mitchell. She explained that the mortgage was in my mother’s name and that I wasn’t legally responsible for continuing voluntary payments.

Sarah advised Mom to contact the lender immediately about repayment arrangements or selling the property. I forwarded her advice, hoping Mom would act sensibly. Instead, she told me Brent believed I would eventually return. I couldn’t believe it. Even after everything, my brother still expected me to rescue him. Then another message arrived. Brent claimed a lawyer had told him he could sue me for abandoning my responsibilities. I saved the message and forwarded it to Sarah. I wasn’t going to be intimidated.