The Walkie-Talkie That Exposed Everything I Gave Away

“Mom’s too trusting. Always has been.”

“Speaking of trust,” Lila chirped, “once she starts paying for Max’s swimming lessons too, we can finally take that trip to Hawaii. She’ll babysit for free anyway.”

My body went still, frozen by a deep, hollow ache that made it hard to breathe.

“The best part?” Lila giggled. “She thinks daycare costs $800. It’s only $500!

We pocket $300 every month and she has no clue.”

Thomas gave a small laugh. “Yeah, and once she gets too old to be useful, we’ll move her into a nursing home. Rent out her place, finally have some stable income for a change.

That extra room’s a goldmine!”