Chapter 4

Leo ignored my request completely. Instead of moving toward the door, he took a step further into my apartment, his eyes darting around as if he were an appraiser.

"You say you have no money," he sneered, gesturing with his chin toward my entertainment center. "But you've got this huge TV. And that sound system. That stuff isn't cheap, Sarah."

Chloe, emboldened, walked over to my desk. She ran a finger over the sleek surface of my work laptop. "And this. This is the latest model, isn't it? Must have cost a couple thousand dollars."

"I told you," I said, my patience wearing thin. "I bought those things with my own money. From my job. It's called a salary. You should try it sometime."

The jab hit its mark. Leo's face darkened. "Are you kidding me? You think we're stupid? It's so obvious what happened. You took Mom's money and used it to furnish your fancy apartment. You've been living it up on her retirement savings!"

"That's right," Chloe added, turning from the desk to face me, her arms crossed again. "While we're struggling to make ends meet, you're here buying gadgets. You're using money that's supposed to be for the whole family, for yourself. How selfish can you be?"

The accusations were so baseless, so twisted, that for a moment I was speechless. They had constructed a reality in their minds where I was a villain, a greedy monster, and they were the victims. It was easier than facing the truth of their own financial irresponsibility.

"That is a lie," I said, my voice low and shaking with controlled anger. "Every penny from that account has gone to Mom's expenses or to her directly. I have never, not once, used it for myself."

"Then show us the money!" Leo demanded, his voice rising again. "Stop the talk and just give me the five thousand for the car! If it's all there like you say, then what's the problem?"

I felt like I was in a nightmare, repeating the same lines over and over while no one listened.

"There is no 'five thousand' to give you," I reiterated, enunciating each word. "The balance is low. I can show you the statements. I can show you every withdrawal."

"We don't want to see your fake statements," Chloe spat. "We want the cash."

My mother, who had been silent during this exchange, finally spoke up again, her voice soft and placating. "Sarah, please. Just let him have it. We can sort it all out later. Let's not have this ugliness."

Her words were the most painful of all. She wasn't just ignoring the truth; she was actively helping them bury it. She was asking me to validate their lies, to pay them off just to make the conflict go away. She was the one who had set up this entire system, and now she was refusing to uphold the one rule she claimed was paramount: fairness.