Diane slowly turned.
“And that is precisely why I didn’t call you.”
Ethan stopped.
“What?”
“I knew you’d do this.”
“Do what? I flew down here because you needed help.”
“I needed help leaving Malcolm.”
She pointed toward him.
“I did not need you turning my decision into a victory lap.”
Ethan looked stunned.
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“You just said, ‘I told you.’”
“I was right!”
The second those words left his mouth, Ethan seemed to realize how badly he had misjudged the moment.
Diane’s face hardened.
“This is not about whether you predicted the ending.”
“Mom—”
“For three years, you’ve treated grief like it erased thirty years from my age.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You call my neighbors if I don’t answer my phone.”
“Because I worry.”
“You ask whether I took my medication.”
“Because you forget sometimes.”
“Twice, Ethan.”
