Paid in Full for Family Love novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Right. Fairness.

I breathed in slow. Pushed the burn in my throat down where I couldn’t feel it.

Then I looked at my mom. She’d been quiet through all of this.

“Mom,” I said. “You agree with them?”

Growing up, I thought she was on my side. She’d warm my frozen feet against her stomach in winter. When I brought home straight As, she’d slip me extra allowance and

whisper, “Don’t tell your brother.” If Mike and I fought, she’d take my side without

hesitation.

She was my person. The one I could always count on.

She lifted her head. Let out a long sigh.

“Emily, your father died young. But your brother and I, we never let you want for

anything. The best of everything always went to you.’

She paused. Her voice hardened.

“You think we did all that for nothing?” she said. “We raised you to be grateful. To

value family. To be there for your brother when he needed you.”

She gestured at Mike and Jen.

“Look at them,” she said. “They’re drowning Mortgage, car payments, and kids aren’t cheap. You’re his sister. You’re doing well now. Isn’t this just what family does?”

She paused. Then came the real hit.

“You’re not a kid anymore, Emily. You can’t just keep showing up with your hand out.”

Something inside me cracked. Not broke, cracked clean through, like ice giving way.

All those years. All that love. I thought it was real.

It was just an investment.

They’d been keeping receipts all along.

Chapter 3

I looked at them, these people I’d bled for, and suddenly it was funny.

I didn’t argue.

I just nodded.

“You’re right.”

Pulled out my phone. Venmo’d Jen a grand.

She checked her screen and her whole face lit up. She hooked her arm through Mike’s.

“See? I told you she wouldn’t make a thing about it,” Jen said, already beaming at her phone. “Vacation fund just got a nice little boost.”

Mike exhaled, relieved. He looked at me like I’d finally passed some test.

“Good,” he said. “Glad you’re being reasonable about this, Em.”

Mom smiled too.

“See? Told you we didn’t raise y Auto-added to the Library

She reached for my hand.

“Stay for dinner,” Mom said. “I’ll make that BBQ chicken you used to like.”

I pulled back. “No thanks.”

A hundred buck a plate? I’m good.

She started to say something else. I didn’t stick around to hear it.

Chapter 3

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