My sister announced in the family group chat that I was officially banned from the reunion and she made it clear no one was to tell me where it would be. I didn’t argue. I didn’t reply. I simply opened the location pin… and laughed so hard I had to cover my mouth.

“We want this year to be truly restful, Katelyn,” my mother said with a tone that was thick with fake concern. “And honestly, you’ve been so high-strung and distracted lately. You seem to suck the energy out of the room with your work talk.”

I knew what was coming before she even said it. I had refused to co-sign a fifty-thousand-dollar loan for Monica’s latest “lifestyle brand” two weeks earlier. I had declined to give her my credit, so now I was being exiled from the family.

“We think it’s best if you skip this one,” Monica chimed in while sipping a glass of wine. “It’ll be less drama for everyone if you just stay in the city and focus on your little computer projects.”

My father sat there and said absolutely nothing to defend me. “Your mother just wants a nice time, Kate,” he muttered. “Maybe you can join us next year.”

The call ended, and I was immediately booted from the group chat. But before I was gone, I saw the address my mother posted for the “luxury rental” she had supposedly secured for the week. 12 High Dune Way. My house.