“Eli, you don’t have to earn your place in this family. Helping around the house is completely different from having to prove that you deserve to stay.”
“But Dad says everybody has to help, and Grandma says I’m expensive.”
I wrapped my arms around him, carefully avoiding pressure on my healing incision. He leaned against me for several moments before asking whether I was angry with him for causing trouble.
“Never, sweetheart. You haven’t done anything wrong by wanting to stay in your own home.”
His expression softened slightly, but he still seemed uncertain about what would happen next. Then he looked toward his bedroom door and asked the question I had been struggling to answer.
“If you really want me here, Mom, why did Dad tell me you agreed to send me away?”
I couldn’t explain my husband’s deception, but I knew I could no longer avoid confronting him. When I returned downstairs carrying Eli’s notebook, I was about to discover that the planned separation was far more permanent than Grant had admitted.
