Chapter 4 - The Collapse of the Façade
For a fleeting second, a flicker of panic crossed David’s eyes. But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by a defensive, arrogant sneer that made my skin crawl.
“Are you out of your mind?” David shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. “She’s a dramatic teenager! If I scheduled every single follow-up test every neurotic doctor recommends just to pad their billing hours, we’d be bankrupt! I was protecting our family finances, Elena! Someone has to be the adult in this house!”
“Protecting our family?” My voice rose, cutting sharply through the quiet kitchen walls. “You didn't protect our family, David. You protected your golf membership, your pride, and your precious routine! While you were yelling at her for being dramatic, her condition worsened to the point where she needed emergency intravenous intervention today!”
My daughter shrank back slightly against the pantry door, wrapping her arms around her stomach as tears began to spill down her cheeks.
David pointed an accusing finger directly at me. “This is your fault! You’ve raised a weak, hypersensitive kid who runs to the ER at the first sign of a cramp! If you spent half as much time managing your freelance clients as you do babying her—”
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That was the exact moment the front door swung wide open.
My mother-in-law, Martha, stepped into the hallway carrying a casserole dish, a bright, cheerful smile plastered across her face. “Yoo-hoo! I brought the sweet potato bake for dinner! What on earth is all this screaming about?”
