My 17-year-old daughter spent three days cooking for 23 people for my mother’s 67th birthday. Ten minutes before the party, Dad texted, “We decided to celebrate at a restaurant instead. Adults only.”

church had read it.

Their neighbors had seen it.

Even his golf friends weren’t answering his messages.

I raised an eyebrow.

How devastating.

Then my sister stepped forward.

“You need to tell them it wasn’t true,” she said, her voice trembling with manufactured calm. “You need to say it was exaggerated, that it was taken out of context.”

I stared at her.

“Taken out of context?

Did someone hack your thumbs and send that text from the restaurant?

Did I imagine the $1,300 charge on my card?

Did Ava