Chapter 13: Say My Name

The room fell silent.

Walter gripped the podium.

I looked up at him and spoke clearly.

“Then say my name, Walter.”

His smile vanished.

“Sylvie.”

“No,” I said. “Say the name of the woman who cooked the meals, raised the children, hosted the holidays, stretched your paychecks, and cared for your mother when hospitals made you uncomfortable.”

Marcy’s face tightened.

Guests turned in their chairs.

Walter swallowed.

“I always respected you.”

I opened the folder and held up his letter.

“Then why did you hide this?”

Marcy turned sharply.

“What letter?”

I read Walter’s own words aloud.

“This money isn’t a gift. It isn’t kindness. It’s part of what I owe.”

The room became perfectly still.

I looked directly at him.

“You called it my due. So don’t stand there and call it generosity.”

Then I walked out.

My children walked beside me.

For the first time in years, I did not feel alone.

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