My mother came to stay for just 7 days, but on the second day, my mother-in-law put a padlock on the refrigerator, shut off the power to her room, and left with my brother-in-law saying, “Outsiders don’t eat my son’s food.” I didn’t argue. I photographed the notes and stayed silent. She still had no idea why the house already had a buyer.

Chloe made a disgusted face.

“You have always been so cold and calculating, Camila.”

I pulled out my phone and held it up.

“Am I calculating like my mother, who selflessly sold her own inherited farmland years ago just so Gabriel and I could make the down payment on this very house when we had nothing?”

Beatrice lowered her gaze to the grass, unable to reply.

Gabriel cleared his throat and continued firmly.

“Mom, I have already arranged a solid solution for you.”

He pulled a neatly printed document from his binder and handed it to her. It was the fully executed lease agreement for the cozy apartment we had secured for her.

“The building has an elevator, a large bedroom, a updated kitchen, and it sits just ten minutes away from your medical clinic, plus we are paying the entire first six months of rent upfront, after which we will continue covering your monthly living allowance and prescriptions.”

Beatrice stared down at the crisp paper in her hands, her aggressive posture slowly collapsing.

“You already went ahead and rented a place for me?”

“Yes, we did.”

“And will I still be permitted to see my grandson Mateo?”

“Of course you will, because you are still his grandmother, but moving forward, there will be firm boundaries in place.”

I took a step closer to her, keeping my voice steady and measured.

“I never once wanted to separate you from your son, Beatrice, but the very moment you put a padlock on our food and cut off the power to my mother’s bedroom, you crossed a boundary that I will never allow anyone to cross again.”

Beatrice pressed her lips into a thin line, looking on the verge of accepting the document.

Seeing her resolve crumble, Chloe quickly leaned in close to Beatrice’s ear to whisper.

“Do not sign a single thing, because if you accept that rental, you forfeit all your legal leverage, so demand your fair share of the house sale money instead!”

Gabriel overheard the exchange clearly.

“What legal leverage are you inventing now, Chloe?”

Lucas interjected loudly, backing his wife up.

“Mom deserves a cut of the cash! You are the eldest son, Gabriel, so you have a fundamental obligation to support your mother and help your younger brother out!”

“Supporting family does not mean handing over a free house to a grown man.”

“Then hand over at least a million dollars from the sale proceeds so Mom can secure a dignified retirement!” Chloe blurted out loudly.

Even Beatrice turned her head in shock to stare at Chloe after hearing that ridiculous figure. A million dollars was spoken as casually as asking someone to pass a napkin across the table.

Gabriel took a deep breath to steady his temper.

“Do you have any idea how much money we actually netted from this sale, or how much we owe on the new mortgage, or how much Mateo’s schooling costs? No, you do not, because you do not care about facts, since all you heard was the word ‘sale’ and immediately started doing math with someone else’s hard-earned money.”