Scott texted a few minutes later and wrote, “Sell something and stop overreacting.” Renee responded with a single emoji and no words. The silence after that felt louder than any argument.
By midafternoon, the truth settled in with painful clarity. I had never been supported, only relied upon. I was not family to them, I was a safety net.
I drove to a grocery store on the edge of town and parked far from the entrance. I told myself I just needed space, but really I wanted to see who would notice if I stopped carrying everyone else. The sun dipped lower as I sat there, phone resting in my lap.
Then a message appeared from my cousin Julian, the one people forgot to invite to things. “Where are you,” he wrote. “Do not explain. Just tell me.”
I sent the location without hesitation. My phone rang almost immediately and his voice came through steady and urgent. “Stay there,” he said. “I am on my way.”
For the first time that day, I believed someone meant it.