Something flickers across her face—relief, I think—but she smooths it away almost as soon as it appears.
“I think that’s sensible. A bit of space might help things settle.”
“I need you to go with her.”
Her brows draw together. “Go with her?”
“She’s never done any of this by herself—traveling, setting up somewhere new, dealing with everything that comes with it.”
I can’t read what she’s thinking, so I keep going.
“I’ve always taken care of her. Just because I can’t be there for a few months doesn’t mean I’m going to leave her to figure everything out on her own.”
It’s hard to switch off a role you’ve lived in for most of your life.
“She could manage. I know she could. But she shouldn’t have to. Not after everything.”
Mum doesn’t answer straight away. She just watches me, something shifting behind her eyes.
“You want me to take care of the daughter of the woman who?—”
I cut her off before she can finish.
“Don’t. I’m not listening to that anymore. We both know Tara isn't to blame for what happened between you and Dad.”
She goes very still, surprise flashing across her face before she can hide it.
“I can see you and Mitchell have been talking.”
“Yes.” I hold her gaze. “Are you going to deny it?”
The silence stretches between us.
She looks down at her hands for a moment, then back at me.
“No,” she says quietly. “I’m not going to deny it.”
There’s no soft way to say this, so I don’t try.
“You made me believe Tara destroyed our family. I was a kid. I trusted you. So when you told me that, I believed it.”
A beat.
“I hated her. I hated Dad.”
She doesn’t say anything.
“And worse, I took it out on Charlotte. For years.”
I catch myself getting louder and pull it back before it carries.
“She was just a kid, and I treated her as though she’d done something wrong. Like she was guilty by association. She was Tara’s daughter, and that made her part of it in my head. And you were happy to let me believe that.”
Still, she doesn’t defend herself. Because how can she?
“You were wrong. I was a child, and you let me carry it. Worse, you let me carry it for you.”
No matter how I treated Tara and Dad, they never gave it back. They never turned on me. Never said a word against Mum. They just took it. All of it.
