“I thought you were going to become him.”
“So you decided before I arrived.”
“Yes.”
“You could have asked.”
“I know.”
“You could have talked to Ethan.”
“I did.”
I looked up.
“He knew about the rules before dinner?”
Her face changed.
There it was.
“Yes.”
My chest tightened.
That hurt more than I expected.
I had assumed Ethan simply failed to defend me in the moment.
He had known.
Vanessa whispered.
“He said maybe structure would be good.”
I looked toward the window.
I needed a second.
Then I asked.
“Did he suggest two thousand?”
She shook her head.
“That was me.”
“The cleaning?”
“Me.”
“Yard?”
“Me.”
“He agreed?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
Thank you for the truth.
It hurt.
But truth usually costs less than fantasy.
Vanessa continued.
“He said you’d probably refuse.”
I smiled sadly.
“I didn’t.”
“No.”
“That made me more annoyed.”
“Why?”
“Because you just did everything.”
