Dad sighed too.
"Lola, I know this isn't fair to you. But you know how good Christine has been to you all these years. Can't we just consider this repaying her kindness?"
A tangle of emotions knotted in my chest.
"Aunt Christine, I understand your situation. But this can't stay hidden. Leo's about to start school, and the enrollment slot for this villa's school district is tied to my household registration. The moment they run a check, everything comes out."
Christine froze. She clearly hadn't thought of that.
"Here's what I suggest," I said, softening my tone. "I have a small apartment downtown—also in a good school district. Vivian's family can move there so Leo can enroll. But this villa? You have to tell Vivian the truth."
Dad's eyes went red immediately. "Lola... thank you for thinking of this family."
I squeezed his hand. "Dad, we are family."
In that moment, I meant it with every fiber of my being.
But I had underestimated the depth of human greed.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, Vivian's attitude toward me changed completely.
"Some people are thirty and still can't land a husband. And they have the nerve to leech off their parents."
"Freeloading every single day—who does she think she is, a princess?"
"Leo, sweetie, don't ever turn out like your aunt. A grown woman still mooching off her family."
These snide little jabs came at me daily.
Every time, I told myself: Let it go. A peaceful family is a prosperous one.
Until the fifth night of the New Year.
I'd gone out for drinks with some old high school friends and didn't get home until well past midnight. Not wanting to wake anyone, I left the lights off and felt my way upstairs to my bedroom.
I shrugged off my coat, half-dazed, and drifted toward the bathroom, thinking of nothing but a hot shower and sleep.
My fingers had just closed around the bathroom door handle when it swung open from the inside.
A woman wrapped in a towel shrieked and stumbled backward. I screamed too.
It was Vivian.
"What are you doing in my room?" My heart was still hammering.
Vivian's face shifted the instant she recognized me. "What do you mean, your room? This is my house!"
That's when I noticed—every piece of furniture, every item in the bedroom had been rearranged. None of it was mine.
"What the hell happened here?"
Christine rushed upstairs and grabbed my arm.
"Lola, listen to me. This afternoon while you were out, Vivian said this room gets the best sunlight. She thinks Leo needs more sun exposure to help him grow, so she moved in."
Heat crept up my neck. "Without even asking me?"
"Asking you?" Vivian pulled on a robe, chin lifted with righteous indignation. "I'm living in my own home. Who exactly do I need permission from?"
Dad had been woken by the commotion. He appeared at the doorway, took one look at the scene, and his expression turned to stone.
"This is outrageous! Who told you to touch Lola's room? Move everything back. Now."
Vivian's eyes glistened on cue. "Dad, Leo is your grandson too. Can't you think about him for once? That north-facing bedroom barely gets any light. If he develops a calcium deficiency, is that what you want?"
"That's still no excuse to move in without permission!"
The argument was escalating. I drew a long breath. "Forget it, Dad. I'll sleep in the guest room tonight."
Christine's face pinched with discomfort. "Lola... the guest room is packed with Leo's old toys. It hasn't been cleaned out yet."
"Then where am I supposed to sleep?"
She pointed toward the far end of the hallway. "I moved your things into the storage room. Why don't you sleep there tonight?"
I laughed—the kind of laugh that comes when you're too angry to do anything else.
"The storage room is barely fifty square feet. It doesn't even have a window. You expect me to sleep in there?"
Vivian strolled over with Leo on her hip, voice dripping with mock sweetness.
"No window? Then go sleep on the third floor. Floor-to-ceiling windows, plus a skylight in the ceiling. You can stargaze before bed."
Christine actually nodded along. "She's right, the third floor has a lovely view—"
I looked straight at her. "If the third floor is so wonderful, why don't we move Vivian up there instead?"
