I met his eyes.
“Your company filed the lawsuit. You tell me why you want to settle it so badly.”
His smile disappeared.
Vivian leaned forward.
“You are being very foolish. Daniel is still willing to work things out, but you keep humiliating him.”
“Daniel could have worked things out by telling the truth.”
“He made a mistake,” she snapped. “A mistake that you are turning into a public execution.”
I looked at her.
“If someone had used your signature to borrow money, would you call it a mistake?”
Her face flushed.
“You are not part of this family anymore.”
The words landed with more force than I expected.
For years, I had tried to earn their acceptance. I had tolerated the jokes, ignored the comparisons, and convinced myself that patience would eventually produce respect.
Now I realized that they had never wanted me to become part of their family as an equal.
