“What?” I whispered.

She shrugged. “Years ago, you signed some papers. You were overwhelmed, remember? Baby on your hip, bills everywhere. You didn’t read them.”

“No…” I shook my head. “No, that was—”

“A transfer. Completely legal. Not my fault you didn’t pay attention.”

Daniel stepped closer. “I found out a few months ago. I’ve been trying to get it back.”

I turned slowly. “By meeting my mother in secret?”

“I didn’t want to bring her back into your life. You asked me not to.”

“I said I never wanted to hear about her again,” I finished.

“I know,” he said quietly. “That’s why I handled it myself.”

My mother laughed. “Handled? Please. You’ve been negotiating.” She looked at me. “He wants the building back. For you. Sweet, right?”

Daniel exhaled sharply. “Don’t twist it.”

“I’m not. I just asked for something in return.”

I looked between them. “What kind of something?”

“Money, of course.”

Of course.

“And when he hesitated,” she added, glancing at Daniel, “I told him I’d go straight to you.”

Daniel’s voice dropped. “Don’t.”

“Oh, come on,” she waved him off. “I’d just tell her we’ve been meeting. Quietly. Repeatedly.”

My stomach tightened. “Meeting… how exactly?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t need details. You’d imagine the rest just fine. Some people never outgrow being easy to fool.”

“Stop it,” Daniel snapped. “That’s not what this is.”

“But it would sound like it, wouldn’t it?” she said lightly. “She’d get upset. Maybe furious. Maybe she wouldn’t even wait for your explanation.”

I crossed my arms. “You wanted me to think he was cheating.”

“I wanted a reaction. And even if you learned the truth later… a little damage first might be enough.”

Daniel’s jaw tightened. “I was trying to get the documents without letting her hurt you again. I’ve seen you lose everything once. I wasn’t going to let that happen again.”

Silence stretched.

I turned to Daniel. “And Lila?”

“She saw us. I didn’t want her carrying this… not yet. I gave her the money so she wouldn’t come to you before I could fix it.”

I looked at my mother. “You tricked me into signing something when I was barely holding it together.” Then at Daniel. “And you’ve been bribing my daughter instead of telling me the truth because you thought I couldn’t handle it.”

“I thought I could protect you,” Daniel said.

“Well,” I straightened my shoulders, “you both made decisions for me. That ends today.”

Minutes later, Daniel and I were in his car.

He reached into the back seat and handed me a folder. “Here.”

I opened it. “You got it back?”

“Enough to start. Repairs, basics… your studio.”

“Daniel…”

“Come on,” he said softly, nodding ahead. “Let’s go see it.”

“Okay… okay.”

As we drove away, I didn’t look back.

“Hey,” I said after a moment. “Next time… don’t hide things from me like that.”

“Next time, don’t assume the worst.”

“Fair.” Then softer, more serious, “My mother couldn’t break us.”

“But you thought I could,” Daniel said.

“…Yeah, I did.”

He nodded once. “Guess that’s a lesson for both of us.”

I leaned back, the folder resting on my lap.

“Okay,” I whispered.

This time, it meant something different. We were starting over.

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