I ripped open the top seam with my thumbnail.

Inside was an eight-page civil lawsuit printed on heavy cream paper with a formal red ink stamp in the top left corner.

Margaret had filed a twelve-thousand-dollar small claims suit against me in Oak Ridge Municipal Court, claiming nine years of unpaid family support, back rent, and retroactive home repair fees.

“Twelve thousand dollars,” Evan read aloud, leaning over my shoulder.

“She itemized every holiday dinner, every lawn care bill, forty-five dollars for a red dress cuff, and every utility payment going all the way back to my twenty-third birthday,” I said.