“Yes.”

He swallowed. “Lauren said you hid money from us.”

“No,” I said. “I protected money from people who called me free while living off it.”

His eyes filled, but I did not soften the truth.

I told him I would not pay his mortgage. I would not hand over my savings. I would help him review a budget, call a credit counselor, and sell the truck if he could not afford it.

He looked ashamed.

That was a start.

PART 3

Lauren came two days later without an invitation.

She parked crookedly in front of my patio home and marched up the walkway as if anger could unlock a door. I watched through the window until she rang the bell three times.

When I opened the door, I stayed behind the screen.

“You turned Marcus against me,” she said.

“No. Your bills did.”

Her face flushed. “You knew we were struggling.”

“I knew you were spending. I did not know you were two months behind on the mortgage until you needed someone to blame.”

She looked past me into my house. “So this is where the money went.”

“This is where my money went.”

 

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