I paid four hundred dollars a month for a maid service out of my own pocket so you wouldn’t fail!”

Ethan looked down at the floor, then raised his head to meet my eyes across the table.

“You didn’t save me,” Ethan said.

“You paid for those chores so I could act like a child and push off my responsibilities while Rachel handled everything alone.

That ends today.”

“Is Rachel standing right there whispering in your ear?” Sylvia demanded.

“Put her on the phone this second!”

“Rachel is holding our sick daughter,” Ethan said.