Vanessa followed, muttering about disrespect and ungrateful people.
The door closed behind them.
Hannah stood motionless for a moment.
She had imagined this confrontation countless times. In those imagined versions, she always felt triumphant.
Instead, she felt exhausted.
Daniel approached her cautiously.
“Hannah—”
“Not now.”
He stopped.
She turned toward Lily, who had been standing quietly beside the table.
“Sweetheart, do you want to open your presents?”
Lily nodded.
Then she looked at her father.
“Daddy, are you mad at Mommy?”
Daniel’s face crumpled.
He knelt in front of her.
“No, sweetheart. I’m not mad at Mommy.”
“Grandma said Mommy was being difficult.”
Daniel looked at his daughter for a long moment.
“Your grandmother was wrong to say that.”
Lily picked at the edge of her paper plate.
“Sometimes Grandma says Mommy isn’t good enough for our family.”
Hannah closed her eyes.
She had not known Lily had heard that.
Daniel’s face went pale.
“Has she said that to you before?”
Lily nodded.
“She said you used to have a nicer house before you married Mommy. And that Mommy doesn’t understand important people.”
Daniel looked as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.
He had heard his mother make similar comments over the years. He had always dismissed them as harmless arrogance.
