It wasn’t.
Not because I wanted my mother or sister near Maya again, but because I suddenly understood that canceling their cards was the easiest part. The harder part would be accepting what they had done without softening it, explaining it away, or turning Maya’s suffering into another family disagreement everyone would be expected to move past.
“Yes,” I said at last. “From them too.”
Maya watched me for several seconds, as though measuring whether the promise could bear weight.
Then she nodded.
At 2:17 in the morning, my mother called.
I let the phone ring until it stopped.
A minute later, Chloe called.
Then Mark.
Then my mother again.
Messages began arriving.
There must be a problem with the hotel card.
Call me immediately.
David, this is humiliating.
The resort says the payment was declined.
We have Ethan’s family here. What are we supposed to do?
