support you?”
“We’re your family!” my mother cried, tears finally spilling down her cheeks as she tried the same emotional weapon one last time. “Family helps each other no matter what!”
“Family doesn’t extort, manipulate, and bleed each other dry,” I replied steadily. “You made your choice two years ago at that dinner table when you gave me an ultimatum. I made my choice too. And I’ve never regretted it for a single second.”
Without saying anything else, I stepped back inside.
I pulled the heavy oak door shut and
