Effective immediately, I am ceasing all monthly financial support. This includes the mortgage supplement, the prescription account, and the childcare payments for Hannah’s children. I have attached a record of the $62,840 I have provided since 2022 so there is no confusion.

Furthermore, I have cancelled the rental car extension and the beach house deposit Hannah attempted to charge to my account. Your return flights are still active, as I do not break my word, even when you have broken yours. From this moment forward, you will need to manage your own expenses.

I have also attached a photo of my dining table from the first night of your visit. Look at the empty chairs. That is what you chose.

I hit Send.

The fallout was instantaneous. My phone transformed into a frantic, vibrating creature. At 11:42 p.m., my father texted: “What is this? Is this a joke?”

At 11:44 p.m., my mother called. At 11:45 p.m., Hannah called four times in a row. I placed the phone face down on the nightstand and slept the first dreamless sleep I’d had in years.

By 8:00 a.m. the next morning, I had twelve missed calls and a voicemail from my father that began with forced calm and ended in a snarl. I answered my mother’s thirteenth call while sipping coffee.

“Sophia!” she shrieked. “You need to undo this right now! Your father is in a panic! The mortgage is due on the first!”