and adjusted his silk tie, taking his time as though the entire dining room had been waiting for him to deliver the final ruling.
“If she does not want you here,” he said, “leave. We are supporting Ashley’s boundaries tonight.”
A few relatives actually applauded.
Boundary setting.
That had become my family’s favorite phrase for getting exactly what they wanted while avoiding any responsibility for the consequences.
I didn’t cry. I didn’t raise my voice.
I looked at the two torn halves of my invitation beside the bread basket. Fourteen
