Chapter 44
Chapter 44: The Reconciliation
After the dust settled from the warehouse demolition, Carter and I sat in a small diner down the street, sharing a quiet lunch. The atmosphere between us was light, free of the old family expectations.
"I saw my mom last week," Carter said, spinning his coffee cup on the laminate table. "She tracked down my agency's address and sent a letter to my office. She wanted me to sign as a co-signer for a small car loan."
"Did you?" I asked, cutting my sandwich.
"No," Carter said firmly. "I called her parole officer instead. I told him she was attempting to use my professional address for credit applications. He warned her that any further attempts to involve me in her financial situation would count as harassment."
He looked out the window at the empty space where his grandfather’s sign used to hang. "It took me a long time to realize that cutting them off wasn't being mean—it was being sane. My mom doesn't want a son, Aunt Claire. She wants a financial safety net. She wants the old life back, and she thinks if she can pull me back into her orbit, she can reconstruct the lie."
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"You survived them, Carter," I said, reaching across the table to touch his arm. "That makes you an exception in this family."
"No," he smiled, looking at me with deep gratitude. "You're the exception, Aunt Claire. You were the one who stood in the doorway when the wolves came. You showed me that you don't have to accept the poison just because it’s served on a family plate."
