My sister announced in the family group chat that I was officially banned from the reunion—and 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.

Of refuge.

I bought the house through an LLC—Seaglass Harbor Holdings—because if you grow up in a family that treats information as leverage, you learn quickly not to leave your name where entitlement can find it. I hired an attorney who specialized in discreet property acquisitions. I routed funds through accounts no one in my family knew existed. I set up maintenance through Tidemark Property Care under the LLC as well. Publicly, there was no obvious path from Skyla Morales to 42 Dune Grass Lane.

That mattered.

Because the point of the house was never to display success.

The point was to have one thing in the world that was mine before anyone could narrate a claim to it.

I spent six months renovating.