PART 2: THE TALLY OF DEBTS
Brooke stared at the paper lying beside her steaming mug, her face rapidly shifting from outrage to absolute confusion.
Ethan stepped into the kitchen through the side door, his forehead creased with exhaustion from his early flight, but his eyes were sharp and fixed entirely on his wife.
“What is the meaning of all these workers in our backyard?” Brooke demanded, turning her anger toward Ethan. “And why is your mother standing here with suitcases packed?”
Without saying a word, Ethan reached out, picked up both invoices from the table, and laid them side by side under the bright kitchen lights.
He read Brooke’s demand for $2,000, then looked at my itemized breakdown of $3,212 for seven days of professional-grade domestic labor and childcare.
Brooke tried to laugh off the tension, crossing her arms defensively. “Ethan, don’t be ridiculous, she stayed in our home for a full week like a luxury hotel guest!”
“Mom isn’t a guest who owed you rent, Brooke,” Ethan said, his voice terrifyingly quiet. “She’s my mother, and you turned her visit into an unpaid labor sentence.”
(The financial truth is about to be laid bare! Click “Next Page” to continue reading…)
