Emma’s sob was like a stab. I held her against me, my heart beating with a fury I struggled to control. I looked up at my mother, waiting for at least a word, a gesture.

But she merely said, with icy calm:

“Some children need to learn their place.”

Something broke inside me.

I stood up and said:

“Do you know why I never asked you for a single cent? Never, even when I was pregnant and alone?”

Silence fell. They had no idea what was coming…