“What suspicion, Mom?” I asked, stopping with my hand on the doorknob.

“Don’t turn an ordinary discipline decision into some big scene, Clara,” my mother said, echoing Caroline’s words in her quiet, measured voice.

“Leaving like this proves you’re an unstable mother who can’t handle her own child without causing chaos.”

“She’s six years old, and you locked her in a closet,” I said.

“It was a discipline decision made in my own home,” my mother said, stepping closer and folding her arms across her chest.

“If you leave, you’ll damage this family in a way you can never repair.”