She worries too much.
He told Liam:
I’ll move it before she sees the statemenTS.
And the message that hurt me most came from Susan.
She earns more than you anyway.
She’ll replace it.
Family comes first.
I read that message three times.
Then I closed my eyes.
For years, I had treated that woman like a second mother.
I had cared for her after surgery.
I had bought her groceries.
I had taken unpaid leave when she needed help.
And all along, she believed my hard work was something Brandon could quietly distribute.
Something I would simply “replace.”
That was the moment I stopped feeling guilty.
Brandon tried everything.
He sent flowers to the hotel.
I sent them back.
He left letters with mutual friends.
I refused to read them.
Then he showed up outside the building where I had moved into a small apartment with my mother.
