Each time, the same words.
Money’s tight.
And each time I believed them.
By the afternoon, I was emotionally drained.
Lucas was in the living room watching cartoons, humming along, blissfully unaware of everything.
I envied that.
The innocence of not knowing.
Around 3:00 p.m., my phone buzzed.
It was Tyler again.
Tyler: “You okay?”
Me: “Not really.”
Tyler: “I figured you saw everything.”
Me: “Yeah. Why did you send it?”
Tyler: “Because I’m done pretending. I used to think you exaggerated. I see it now. They treat you like a stranger.”
Me: “You didn’t have to get involved, Tyler.”
Tyler: “I did. They’re already blaming me for turning you against them. Might as well earn it.”
That last message hit me harder than I expected.
For the first time, I realized Tyler wasn’t the same spoiled kid who used to roll his eyes whenever I brought this stuff up.
