{"id":24333,"date":"2025-12-16T17:25:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=24333"},"modified":"2025-12-16T17:25:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:25:12","slug":"24333","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=24333","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOh, Hannah,\u201d Janice trilled, her voice pitching up an octave. \u201cDid you bring the tart? I was so worried you might forget. Again.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t forgotten it last year; I had been in the emergency room with a concussed child, but facts were irrelevant in Janice\u2019s court. \u201cIt\u2019s on the counter, Janice. Lemon and rosemary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting,\u201d she murmured, making the word sound like a diagnosis.\u00a0Strike one.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe tries her best,\u201d Gerald muttered under his breath as he slammed a plate of ham onto the table. He didn\u2019t lower his voice enough to hide it; he just lowered it enough to claim plausible deniability.\u00a0Strike two.<\/p>\n

Across the table sat my sister-in-law,\u00a0Kimberly, and her daughter,\u00a0Meline. Meline was the same age as Fiona, but she was dressed in a sequined gown that looked like it cost more than my first car. She twirled in her seat, basking in the adoration of her grandparents, acting out her role as the \u2018Golden Child\u2019 with practiced ease. Fiona watched her quietly, her hands folded in her lap. My daughter didn\u2019t need a spotlight; she just needed to not be invisible.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOh, Hannah,\u201d Janice trilled, her voice pitching up an octave. \u201cDid you bring the tart? I was so worried you might forget. Again.\u201d I hadn\u2019t forgotten it last year; I had been in the emergency room with a concussed child, but facts were irrelevant in Janice\u2019s court. \u201cIt\u2019s on the counter, Janice. Lemon and rosemary.\u201d…<\/p>\n

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