car, my groceries, and my silence.
I had paid the down payment myself, renovated every room, and covered every repair long before Daniel’s family moved in. Lorraine knew that.
She also knew I hated scenes and mistook courtesy for surrender.
Each week, she pushed one boundary further, waiting to see if I would eventually stop resisting altogether.
That Thursday, I came home after a fourteen-hour shift and found the refrigerator chained shut. A handwritten meal schedule sat on the counter. Lorraine had even moved my pantry food into plastic bins
