"Good."
Her mouth fell open.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?"
I looked at her blue wristband.
"Apparently, I've ruined a lot of plans."
"This isn't funny!"
"Neither is putting my name on a loan."
Vanessa lowered her voice.
"Mom said you'd agreed."
"And when did I supposedly agree?"
She hesitated.
"Last month."
"Funny. Last month I was paying for your cruise."
"Stop bringing up the money!"
I stared at her.
"You keep asking for it, Vanessa. Why shouldn't I bring it up?"
Her face twisted.
"You always act like you're better than us."
"No. I act like I have a budget."
She stared at me for several seconds.
Then she said something I would remember forever.
"Mom said you wouldn't need the money anyway. You don't have kids. You don't have a husband. What else are you going to spend it on?"
I couldn't speak.
There it was.
The belief underneath everything.
Because I was unmarried and childless, my life was somehow less expensive.
Less important.
Less deserving of protection.
I swallowed.
"My money is not family property."
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
"You've changed."
I nodded.
"Yes."
Then I closed the door.
The following morning, Mom appeared.
Unlike Vanessa, she knocked softly.
I let her inside because I wanted answers.
She stood near the window, twisting her fingers together.
"Millie, sweetheart, this has gotten so out of control."
I stayed standing.
"Who signed my name?"
She looked down.
"Your father thought—"
"Mom."
Her eyes filled.
"We were going to tell you."
"When?"
"After the paperwork was finished."
I felt cold.
"After you committed me to a debt?"
