She gestured dismissively around the room. "You came back to live here. Water, electricity, food—aren't those expenses? We charged market rate. Not a penny more. Do you really have to be so petty?"
Rage turned my blood to ice. My fingertips tingled.
Emboldened, Raymond nodded. "Yeah, Sarah. You can't use the past to dictate the present. You volunteered to pay for the renovation and mortgage. We accepted the favor. We thanked you."
His face hardened. "But even siblings settle accounts clearly. You're living in my house, so you pay. Only natural."
Accepted the favor.
Only natural.
I sucked in a breath, forcing down bile. The betrayal tasted like ash.
Slowly, I turned toward Margaret—my mother—who had remained silent throughout.
"Mom." My voice came out a whisper. "Do you agree with them?"
Growing up, she'd always favored me. In winter, she'd warm my freezing feet against her chest. When I got good grades, she'd slip me extra pocket money—don't tell Raymond. Whenever we argued, she'd stand by my side, scolding him for bullying me.
I needed her to speak. To tell them they were wrong.