At the family party, they demanded I sign over someone else’s debt. “Here, we all support the family,” they told me… but when I refused in front of everyone, a single blow opened my eyes and shattered my marriage.

I continued to endure it and even paid for all the catering and drinks for Mason’s party just to avoid another argument. I hoped that for once we could get through a family event without a scene or a new demand for money.

Then Blake’s cousin, Austin, sat down next to me with a thick manila folder and a smile that suggested he was asking for a tiny favor. “I just need your signature on this loan application as a formality,” he said while sliding the papers toward me.

I opened the folder to find my name already printed on the guarantor line. “I am not signing this,” I stated firmly.

The laughter in the yard seemed to die down instantly as Mrs. Gable approached with a plate of food and a cold expression. “We all support each other in this family, Mackenzie,” she reminded me.

“Supporting family is one thing, but becoming a legal guarantor for someone else’s debt is another,” I replied without raising my voice. “The answer is no.”

Her face twisted in an instant as she hissed, “Ever since you started making more than my son, you think you’re the queen of this house, don’t you?”