exhaustion.

When I told Melissa I couldn’t buy everything on the list, she didn’t hear “no.” She heard betrayal.

“You can’t or you won’t?” she asked.

“I won’t,” I said.

That answer changed everything.

PART 2:

Later, I wrote something different—not a punishment, not revenge, but a structure. A plan. I arranged counseling sessions, budgeting help, and practical continue reading …