Everything I had worked to give him—all the sacrifices I had made so he could get where he was—had been overshadowed by a convenient marriage.
“We are very grateful,” Marlene said, taking Michael’s hand on the table. “Family is the most important thing. Knowing how to surround yourself with the right people makes all the difference.”
She looked at me when she said that, directly into my eyes. The message was clear. I was not the right person. I was the past. She was the future.
Marlene’s mother joined the conversation. “It’s fundamental to set boundaries, too. Especially when there are people who can become a burden. We can’t let misunderstood feelings stop us from moving forward.”
“Exactly,” Marlene agreed, squeezing Michael’s hand. “That’s why we’ve decided to make some changes—necessary changes—for our well-being and for Khloe’s.”
Chloe. My four-year-old granddaughter. The little girl I watch twice a week when they needed time for themselves. The girl who called me Grandma Helen and made drawings for me on paper.
Were they going to take her away from me too?
“What kind of changes?” I asked.