and manicured lawn.
The keys rested in my hand.
The house was mine.
Paid entirely in cash.
A rush of triumph passed through me as I unlocked the door and stepped into a living room that finally belonged only to me.
But just as I placed my first boxes on the hardwood floor, frantic pounding echoed from the front porch.
I opened the door.
My mother stood there looking disheveled, desperate, and far older than I remembered.
Part 3
My mother’s face was pale, her designer handbag clenched between trembling
