Christian didn't look the least bit concerned.

"What's there to worry about? This is my brother's place. Sooner or later, it's mine too."

He pulled open the walk-in closet door.

"See? All of this is my sister-in-law's. Want to try something on?"

Bess didn't say anything, but her eyes drifted from dress to dress, lingering on each one.

A little past seven that evening, the whole family sat in the living room eating dinner.

Jim picked up a piece of fish, grease shining on his lips as he chewed. "Once Patsy marries in, your mother and I will give up the old apartment and move in here."

"This house is big enough for all of us."

Christian talked through a mouthful of food, the words half-garbled. "Then I'll take the room next to the master bedroom. The one with the balcony. Good natural light."

"Fine." Jim didn't even think about it. "That one's yours and Bess's."

Gabriel kept his head down and ate. He didn't agree. He didn't disagree.

Jim went on. "Your mother and I will take the room downstairs. Easier on the knees, no stairs."

"And if your grandparents come to visit, they can have the guest room across the hall."

"What about the study?" Christian asked.

"The study's for your brother. He needs it for work."

Christian pursed his lips.

"And what about my sister-in-law? Where does her stuff go?"

Eliana set down her chopsticks and answered at her own leisurely pace. "Once she marries in, she's a Chavez. What does it matter where her things go? Don't worry about that."

Christian let out a low laugh, then brought up the cars.

"Hey, bro, I drove your BMW. The pickup's weak. Your girl's Mercedes is way better. Smooth acceleration."

Gabriel finally spoke.

"That's her car."

Christian grinned. "Hers, yours, same thing. Once you two tie the knot, what's the difference? I think the Mercedes suits me perfectly. My Jetta's been on its last legs for a while now."

"Besides, she's still got a Porsche. She's not gonna say anything."

Eliana jumped right in. "Exactly. We're family. No need to keep score."

"Your brother's dating now. A nicer car gives him a better impression."

Gabriel was silent for four, five seconds. "We'll see."

We'll see.

Not "no." Not "that's hers, I can't make that call."

We'll see.

Christian clearly took it as a yes. He turned to Bess. "Hear that? Tomorrow I'm taking you for a ride in the Mercedes."

Bess smiled faintly, glancing at Gabriel first, then at Eliana, before asking in a quiet voice:

"But... will your sister-in-law be okay with that?"

The living room went still for two seconds.

Jim's voice shot up. "Why the hell wouldn't she be okay with it? Once she's married, she's a Chavez. I run this family. She doesn't get a say."

Then he added one more thing.

"She's got no parents, no family of her own. Once she marries in, we're all she has. We're doing her a favor looking out for her. It's not like we're mistreating her."

Bess stopped talking and went back to her food, head down.

On screen, Gabriel never pushed back. Not once.

He never even looked up.

His face stayed completely blank the entire time.

On the third day, Bess picked out a dress from the walk-in closet.

The yellow floral one I'd just bought before my business trip. The one I'd never even worn.

She twirled in front of the full-length mirror in the master bedroom while Christian leaned against the doorframe, filming her on his phone.

"Gorgeous. Looks way better on you than on my sister-in-law!"

Bess gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Stop it. She'd be upset if she heard that."

"So what if she hears? She barely wears this stuff anyway. It's just sitting here collecting dust."

Bess wore it the entire day.

She had it on when she left the house that afternoon and didn't change out of it until she came back that night.

She hadn't washed it. Just hung it back up.

That night, Eliana sat at the vanity in the master bedroom and helped herself to my skincare.

She twisted open the jar of cream, scooped out a huge glob, and smeared it across her face.

Then she picked up one of my lipsticks, twisted it up, looked at it for a moment, and set it back down.

On the morning of the fourth day, the whole family packed up and left the villa.

Eliana took whatever food was left in the fridge. Jim walked out of the study carrying a boxed tea set of mine that had never been opened.

Gabriel was the last to leave.

He stood in the living room for a while, picked up the bouquet on the coffee table that had already wilted, looked at it, and put it back down.

The door closed. The villa went quiet.

The footage stopped there.

I dragged the progress bar back and replayed the living room conversation one more time.

Watching it again, Gabriel's expression still hadn't changed.

No nod. No shake of the head. No frown. Nothing beyond silence.

Like a bystander. A spectator.

But he was the center of all of it.

If he hadn't given his silent approval, none of them could have gotten through the door.

He was the one who gave them the door code.

I stared at my phone screen, my fingers slowly tightening around it.

It wasn't about a car. It wasn't about a few dresses.

It was because all of this had been premeditated, organized, and divided up like assigned tasks.

Jim was in charge of allocating rooms. Eliana handled supplies and daily necessities. Christian was the one who carried things out and moved them. Gabriel's job was to say nothing and let it happen.

And what was my role?

I earned the money. I bought the cars. I paid the mortgage. I provided everything they needed.

Oh, and one more thing.

My job was to marry into the family.

And then become a nameless accessory, going from "Patsy Simmons" to "one of the Chavez family."

A daughter-in-law with no property rights and no voice.

I sat on the couch, unplugged the backup hard drive from my laptop, and dropped it into my bag.

I checked the backup files one more time to make sure everything was intact.

Then I called my best friend. "Moira, I need a favor."

A little after seven that evening, the door opened.

Gabriel had unlocked it.

Jim walked in without taking off his shoes, his leather soles hitting the hardwood floor with every step.

Eliana came in carrying a bag of fruit, tossed it onto the coffee table without a second glance.

Christian was the last one through the door, hands in his pockets, looking around, letting out a low whistle.

The three of them sat down in the living room.

Gabriel poured them water like he owned the place, then sat down across from me.

Jim spoke first.

"Patsy, we came here today to straighten this whole thing out."

He crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, took a drag. Smoke curled through the living room.

"That post you put on social media made this entire family look bad."

"Christian's young. He doesn't always think things through. But you're his sister-in-law. You shouldn't be stooping to his level."

"Family should put harmony first."

Eliana jumped in. "Exactly. Patsy, what were you thinking, calling the police?"

"People are going to think we've got thieves in the family."

"Christian is your brother-in-law. What good does it do you to ruin his reputation?"

"And that car of yours, it was just sitting in the garage collecting dust. Christian took it for a spin. It's not like he put a scratch on it."

"You had to blow it up into this whole ordeal? You're just giving people something to laugh about."

Christian sat in the armchair, one leg crossed over the other, bouncing it lazily.

"Sis, if you're worried about the gas money, just say so."

"Next time I take the car out, I'll fill the tank before I bring it back. We're talking, what, a hundred bucks?"

"Was that really worth threatening to call the cops on social media? My girlfriend saw it and lost it. She almost broke up with me. Said having a thief in the family was too embarrassing."

He paused, then let out a small laugh. Barely there.

"Sis-in-law, you're about to marry into this family. Is this really how you want to play it?"

I listened to all of it and said nothing.

Jim took my silence as surrender. He flicked his cigarette ash onto the carpet.

"There we go. Family doesn't hold grudges overnight. Delete the post, apologize to Christian, and we'll put the whole thing behind us."

"Once you marry in, we won't treat you badly."

Eliana nodded along. "Exactly. Your parents are gone, so we're your family now. As long as you behave, we'll take good care of you."

The living room went quiet for a few seconds.

Gabriel glanced at me.

Finally opened his mouth.

"Patsy, just say something."

"Everyone here wants what's best for this family. Give us an answer."

I lifted my head and looked at Gabriel.

My voice was flat. "I'll say it again. Anyone who touches my personal belongings without my permission is disrespecting me."

"I'm not apologizing for what happened today, and I'm not deleting the post."

"If it happens again, I'm calling 911."

Jim's face darkened instantly.

He crushed his cigarette out in the vase beside him, his voice rising.

"Patsy, what exactly are you trying to say? We've been nothing but reasonable, and you're still digging in?"

"You're a woman about to get married! What's yours, what's mine? Once you marry into this family, everything you own belongs to the Chavez family!"

Eliana jumped in too. "What is wrong with you? Our whole family came here to talk this out nicely, and this is the attitude we get?"

"Is it because you've got a fancy job and a nice car that you think you're too good for us?"

"Let me tell you something. With a temper like yours, no family would want you!"

Christian stood up.

He wasn't bouncing his leg anymore. He wasn't smiling either.

"Sis-in-law, I'm calling you that out of respect."

"Don't push your luck."

"All this fuss today, what's it really about? Your stuff? Won't let anyone drive the car, won't let anyone stay in the house. Then why bother getting married at all?"

"You really think my brother can't do better than you?"

He stepped forward, voice climbing higher.

"I'm warning you. Keep this up, and you won't set foot through our door."

"And when that happens, a woman with no parents, pushing thirty, let's see who'd still want you!"

The air in the living room felt like it had been sucked out.

Gabriel sat on the couch. Didn't move.

Didn't look at Christian. Didn't look at me.

Jim and Eliana said nothing either. They watched Christian finish every word, their faces carrying the quiet stamp of approval.

A few seconds passed.

I smiled.

"In that case, I won't be marrying in."