Sometimes I just couldn't stand it anymore. I'd ask Fay to clean up after herself, but Rebecca would immediately smooth things over.

"A little mess gives the house character. Too clean and it doesn't feel like a home."

Connor would chime in too.

"My family's lived like this our whole lives. You can't expect people to change overnight. Just be a little more understanding."

But now?

My mother had dropped a single strand of hair.

And they wanted to throw her out in the middle of the night.

I pushed away the money Connor held out and said coldly, "My mother isn't going anywhere tonight."

"She's staying here."

Rebecca's face twisted with panic.

"Zoe, there are only three bedrooms in this house. One for you and Connor, one for me, one for my daughter and my granddaughter. Where exactly is your mother supposed to sleep?"

I stared at her, a fire burning in my chest.

"Rebecca, I cleaned the guest room yesterday specifically for my mother. You went behind my back and invited your daughter and her kid over to take that room. And now you're telling me there's no space?"

I'd known my mother was coming. I'd scrubbed the guest room spotless, put on fresh sheets, bought new slippers and a brand-new set of toiletries. Everything was ready for her.

Then I went to work for a single shift. By the time I got home, Fay was back again, barely two days after her last visit, with her daughter in tow.

The fresh sheets I'd laid out were soaked with her daughter's urine.

The new slippers were on Fay's feet.

The toiletries had been squeezed and smeared across every surface in the room.

I'd been furious. Everything I'd carefully prepared for my mother, ruined.

Rebecca had talked me down.

"Kids are kids. They make messes. We already scolded her."

"Zoe, my daughter isn't as lucky as you. She didn't marry a good man."

"Her husband has a terrible temper. They fight constantly. What's she supposed to do? She has nowhere else to go but here."

"When your mother arrives, I'll have my daughter squeeze in with me. It absolutely won't affect your mother's stay."

Connor had backed her up.

"My sister's raising a kid on her own. Cut her some slack. When your mom gets here, I'll replace everything brand new, exactly what you bought. I promise she'll be comfortable."

They'd both sworn up and down, so I swallowed my anger and let it go.

But now I saw it clearly.

They had never intended to let my mother stay in this house. Not from the beginning.

That was why they'd brought Fay and her kid in to take the room. That was why they'd picked a fight with my mother over nothing.

When I brought this up, Rebecca's expression flickered, but she recovered quickly, her voice righteous as ever.

"Zoe, that's not fair."

"My daughter came because she was in trouble. We're her family. It's only right that we help each other out."

"Your mother just came to visit because she had nothing better to do. There's really no need for her to stay overnight."

"Besides, it's not like we're leaving her on the street. A motel for forty bucks a night, cheap and simple. My son even offered to pay. What more do you want?"

What more did I want?

I wanted my mother to sleep in the house I'd paid for.

Was that really too much to ask?

I was about to say exactly that when my mother tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "Zoe, don't let me cause problems between you and your family. I'll go to the motel. It's fine."

Then she lowered her head and smiled apologetically at Rebecca and the others.

"I'm so sorry for the trouble. I'll head out now. Please don't fight with Zoe because of me."

With that, my mom turned and walked out of my apartment.

I chased after her and caught her arm at the elevator.

"Mom, don't go."

She turned back, smiling as she patted my hand. "It's fine, sweetheart. I can sleep anywhere."

She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were rimmed with red.

I knew she was hurting. That forced smile was just to keep me from worrying.

But the harder she tried to hide it, the more my chest ached.

I gripped her hand tight, my voice breaking. "It's not the same."

"Mom, this is my home. You're my mother. You belong here."

My father passed away when I was young. Mom raised me on her own.

To make sure I never went without, she worked three jobs a day. Before dawn, she was at the bakery kneading dough. During the day, she ran a sewing machine at the garment factory. At night, she washed dishes at a restaurant.

She endured so much. Swallowed so much hardship.

But she never once let me wear a dirty shirt or eat a cold meal.

So from the time I was little, I made myself a quiet promise: study hard, work hard, and give her the life she deserved.

After graduation, I threw myself into my career, saved every penny, and bought this apartment. The very first thing I did was ask her to move in.

She refused every time.

One day it was the chickens that needed feeding, the garden that needed tending. The next, she'd say she was used to the countryside and wouldn't know what to do with herself in the city.

Then I got married, and she had a new excuse: young couples needed their privacy, and she didn't want to intrude.

But I knew the real reason. She was afraid of being a burden. Afraid my in-laws would resent her. Afraid she'd become a weight around my neck.

This time, she'd finally agreed to visit, and she hadn't even sat down before someone drove her out.

How was that fair?

When she saw I wasn't letting go, Mom smoothed back my hair and spoke softly.

"Silly girl. If I stay, it only makes things harder for you."

I shook my head. "Mom, I'm not afraid of hard."

"But I am."

She looked at me, tears balanced on her lashes, refusing to fall.

"I'm afraid you'll fight with them because of me."

"I'm afraid that after the fight, you'll hide somewhere and cry alone."

"I'm afraid that after the crying, you'll still have to face those same people the next morning."

The bridge of my nose burned. Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

Mom gently wiped them away, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Zoe, I know you're a good daughter."

"But it breaks my heart."

"If having me here means you're caught in the middle, torn apart from both sides, then I'd rather I never came at all."

I opened my mouth to speak, but the elevator doors slid open.

Mom pulled free of my hand and stepped inside. She turned to face me and smiled.

"I'm going now."

"Go back inside. It's cold out here."

Standing there, watching my mother smile at me through reddened eyes as the doors began to close, something shifted inside me.

A bold plan took shape.

I didn't force her to come back to the apartment.

Instead, I took her to the best hotel in the neighborhood and booked a room.

Rather than make her sleep in that guest room with its stained mattress, I'd let her have one comfortable night.

After check-in, I walked her to her room.

She took in the elegant furnishings, then drifted to the window and gazed down at the glittering city lights spread out below. Her whole body went stiff with unease.

"Zoe, didn't Connor say there was a motel around here for sixty dollars a night? Why did you bring me to a place like this?"

"Look at this room. It must cost a fortune."

I took her hands, calloused and rough, and guided her to the edge of the bed. We sat down together, and I looked her in the eye.

"Mom, your daughter can afford it now. Just this once, let me take care of you. Okay?"

She looked at me. Her lips trembled, parted, then pressed together again. Finally, she nodded, her eyes glistening.

I smiled and stood up.

"Get some rest tonight. I'll come pick you up tomorrow and we'll go out, do some shopping, have a real day together."

Mom waved her hands frantically. "No, no. You have work tomorrow. I'll head home first thing in the morning. I've already been enough trouble."

I looked at her, enunciating every word. "Mom, I already took the day off."

"Besides spending time with you, I have some personal things to take care of."

Her expression shifted. "You're not going to start a fight with Connor and his family over what happened today, are you?"

"Please don't—"

I cut her off. "Relax. I'm not going to fight with them."

Fighting with people like that was pointless.

I had a better plan.

Seeing how serious I was, Mom finally relaxed. "Good. As long as you're not fighting."

"As long as you're doing okay, nothing else matters to me."

I didn't say anything else. I went over a few things about the hotel check-in, then left in a hurry.

Outside, I drew in a long breath of night air.

Then I pulled out my phone and dialed the property manager's number.

When the call connected, I got straight to the point. "Glen Chavez, I have a question. How long does the community keep its security camera footage?"

On the other end, Glen answered without hesitation. "Under normal circumstances, three months."

I smiled faintly. "And if someone causes a disturbance on the property, does management intervene?"

He paused for a beat, then assured me, "Of course we do. We have security patrols for exactly that."

"Why? Is someone causing trouble?"

I gave a light laugh. "No, nothing like that. Just asking ahead of time."

After hanging up, I dialed another number.

"Hi, is this the realtor? I want to sell my house."

"I don't care how low the price goes. I only have one condition."