It was that they had used the very thing that was best in her — her openness, her wish to be family, her instinct to give — and turned it into the mechanism of her own exploitation.

She had been robbed with her own generosity as the crowbar.

And standing in that room, she made a quiet decision that she would never again let anyone convince her that her kindness was a debt she owed them for the privilege of their company.

Chapter 18 — The Numbers

A financial spreadsheet appeared — no captions, just dates, amounts, account numbers.

“Eleven thousand for the deposit on Xiomara’s wedding venue,” Rafaela read in a flat, even voice.