Sloan crossed her arms.
“Really?”
“They were hurt because you believed you could use me.”
For the first time, Sloan looked uncertain.
Helina continued.
“You wanted my money for the lodge, my credit card for expenses, my house whenever you needed somewhere to stay. But you didn’t want me. That’s not fair, isn’t it?”
Caleb turned toward his wife.
“Sloan, stop.”
She stared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“Just stop.”
Helina watched the surprise spread across Sloan’s face.
Perhaps Caleb had finally grown tired of being the man who never chose a side.
Sloan stepped closer.
“So now you’re taking her side.”
“No,” Caleb replied. “I’m admitting she has a point.”
Sloan laughed sharply.
“After everything we’ve been through, you’re standing here defending your mother?”
Helina interrupted.
“This isn’t about sides.”
Both of them looked toward her.
“It’s about consequences.”
She opened the door just enough to hand Caleb another copy of the agreement she had prepared.
“If you want to stay here temporarily, these are the conditions. $2,000 per month. Utilities are shared. No guests without permission. Your mother-in-law and father-in-law do not stay here.”
Sloan snatched the paper from Caleb’s hand.
She read it, then she laughed again.
“This is insane.”
“Then don’t accept it.”
“You know we can’t afford that.”
“Then you should find housing within your budget.”
Sloan’s face reened.
“You are doing this to punish us.”
Helena shook her head.
“No. If I wanted to punish you, I could have thrown your belongings onto the lawn and changed the locks without giving you a choice.”
Sloan looked toward the garage.
Helina continued.
“Instead, I packed everything carefully. I gave you options. What happens next is entirely up to you.”
Caleb read through the agreement again.
Then he asked quietly, “And the $1,460?”
“You repay it by Friday.”
Sloan immediately protested.
“We don’t have that kind of money.”
Helina looked directly at her.
“Then perhaps you should have considered that before charging a rental van, fuel, and a motel room to my emergency card.”
“We thought you’d pay for it.”
“I know. That was the problem.”
They had expected it.
Caleb handed the paper back to his mother.
“I’ll transfer the money.”
Sloan spun toward him.
“What?”
“I said I’ll pay her back.”
“With what money?”
Caleb’s expression hardened.
“Mine.”
Helena noticed the change.
Small but real.
Sloan stared at him as if she barely recognized the man standing beside her. Then she turned toward Helena.
“You’ve poisoned him against me.”
Helena almost laughed.
“No, Sloan. You just spent 3 years teaching him that peace was more important than respect.”
Caleb didn’t defend his wife this time.
His silence meant something different.
Sloan looked from him to Helena. Then she walked away.
A few minutes later, Caleb’s phone buzzed. He checked the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Helena asked.
He looked embarrassed.
“My debit card declined at the gas station.”
Helena nodded.
“I removed you from my accounts.”
Caleb stared at her.
“Immediately?”
“Immediately.”
“But what if we need something?”
Helena’s expression remained gentle.
“Then you’ll use your own money.”
He swallowed.
The reality of adulthood had arrived all at once.
No shared account. No emergency card. No free home. No automatic rescue.
Caleb looked toward the driveway where Sloan was arguing with her parents. Then he looked back at his mother.
“I should have stopped this before it got here.”