old and patient inside me finally broke.
Not loudly.
Cleanly.
I nodded.
“Okay.”
Vanessa blinked.
She had expected resistance.
Maybe she expected me to remind her that the SUV was technically in my name.
Maybe she expected me to mention the time her boutique nearly collapsed and Mom quietly covered three months of our mortgage so I could keep Vanessa’s payroll going.
Maybe she thought I would beg.
Instead, I pulled out my phone.
I called Mr. Bellamy, our neighbor two houses down.
He was seventy, retired, and had spent thirty-seven years as a paramedic.
He answered on the second ring.
“David?”
“Could I ask a favor? Mom needs a ride to the hospital. My car’s in the shop.”
“I’ll be there in two minutes.”
No questions.
No hesitation.
Vanessa gave a short laugh.
“Dramatic.”
Mom squeezed my arm.
“I don’t want to cause trouble.”
I looked at her.
“You
