Even after being humiliated this badly, the only person on her mind was me.
I looked down at her hands, the calluses thick and rough across her palms.
I thought about the month she'd spent working around the clock without a single day of rest.
The ten pounds she'd lost, her frame shrinking until her clothes hung loose.
The way she'd stood on tiptoe, holding my IV bag above her head so she could walk me to the bathroom.
Then I looked at Cornelia, standing there like she owned the world.
I thought about the day I gave birth, how she'd wheeled her suitcase out the door without a backward glance.
The vacation photos she'd posted on social media all month, beaming in every single one.
Seth's words echoing in my head: "Your mom is an outsider."
And just like that, something inside me went still.
"Fine."
"I'll pay on my mother's behalf."
I pulled out my phone, ready to transfer the money.
Cornelia's brow creased immediately:
"Absolutely not. You're a James family wife. Your money is James family money."
"This is money your mother owes us. If anyone's paying, it should be her."
My mother grabbed my hand, fumbling for her own phone, her voice gentle and quick: