Daniel caught my elbow.
I pulled away.
“My sister had a job.”
“I know.”
“She could cook.”
“I know.”
“She took the bus by herself.”
“I know.”
“She didn’t need to be locked away somewhere.”
“I KNOW.”
His voice cracked.
Silence followed.
Daniel looked toward the floor.
“They weren’t planning to tell you until after she moved.”
That hurt almost as much as everything else.
“Why?”
“Because your mother said you would stop them.”
“She was damn right.”
“She said you’d sacrifice your life for Grace.”
I laughed bitterly.
“She was my sister.”
“She said they refused to let Grace become your responsibility.”
“My responsibility?”
Daniel nodded.
“They talked about her like she was an inheritance nobody wanted.”
I pressed a hand against my mouth.
My parents.
The people who had spent my childhood telling everyone how fiercely they loved Grace.
The people who had attended fundraising galas.
The people who praised themselves for being advocates.
They had been planning to quietly send her away.
“So where do you come into this?”
Daniel looked at the papers in my hand.
“I told them I was going to propose.”