Grandma rested her hands calmly on the blanket. “Cruel was telling my grandchildren I was losing my mind because I wouldn’t give you my passwords.”

“I was protecting you!”

“You were protecting your inheritance.”

The accusation landed hard enough to silence everyone. Grandma looked older then — not helpless, only exhausted from being surrounded by people who treated her age as an opportunity.

She reached for my hand. “Claire visited me every Thursday after her divorce. Not because she wanted money. Because she noticed I was lonely.”

My eyes burned.