“Mom, I didn’t want this to go so far.”

Margaret looked at him. “How far did you want it to go, Daniel? Until I kept watching the children, paying bills, and warming soup while you went to the beach?”

He lowered his gaze. “I thought it was better for you not to come. The flight was long.”

“You didn’t let me choose.”

“Rebecca said you’d ruin the trip.”

The sentence fell out like a loose stone. Rebecca went pale.