I nodded.
“Then you’ll need to adjust your budget.”
Her expression tightened.
“It’s not that simple.”
“I understand there may be difficult decisions.”
She looked toward Daniel.
“Perhaps you could explain to her that family comes first.”
Daniel remained calm.
“Lorraine, we’ve discussed this together.”
She frowned.
“So you’re encouraging her to abandon us?”
“No,” he answered. “I’m supporting her decision to stop paying expenses she never agreed to cover indefinitely.”
Mom turned toward me.
“You’ve changed since you got married.”
I stared at her.
“I got married two weeks ago.”
“And suddenly we’re strangers.”
“Mom, I’ve been asking you to take responsibility for these bills for months.”
She waved her hand.
“You never said it was permanent.”
“I never said my payments were permanent either.”
Dad cleared his throat.
“Lorraine, let her finish.”
Mom looked offended.
I continued.
“I gave you money because you said you needed help. Some of those situations were genuine emergencies. I’m glad Dad received his dental treatment. I’m glad the furnace was repaired.”
Dad nodded.
“But I’ve also paid Khloe’s rent for months. I’ve covered subscriptions. I’ve taken care of expenses that kept returning without any plan for handling them independently.”
Mom crossed her arms.
“Your sister needed support.”
