“She said she was worried about vehicle registration compliance.”

“She knew I made every monthly loan payment,” I said.

“She took the paper bank statements out of the mailbox to keep your father from seeing the line items.”

Ethan looked down at his shoes on the asphalt.

“She realized yesterday that she picked a fight with someone who has resources she can’t touch.”

“She didn’t change her mind because she felt sorry,” I said.

“She changed her mind because she got scared.”