Tyler took a plea deal that required restitution, probation after jail, and treatment for gambling addiction. Mom also pleaded guilty. She avoided a lengthy prison sentence but received supervised probation, financial restrictions, and an order requiring her to repay Owen’s account.
At sentencing, she looked at me and said, “You could have prevented all of this by coming home.”
The judge answered before I had the chance.
“Her refusal to continue financing fraud did not cause this. Your decisions did.”
Six months later, I signed a lease for a small two-bedroom apartment near Karen’s house. Owen stayed with me on weekends. The second bedroom belonged to him, decorated with music posters and a locked cabinet for his medication.
One Sunday, while we were making pancakes, he asked if I regretted leaving.
I thought about the shutoff notice, the forged documents, and Mom’s twenty-three calls demanding that I fix a life she claimed I did nothing to support.
“No,” I said. “I regret waiting so long.”
Mom had told me adults had to pay for the privilege of having a home.