Chapter 5: Terms
Marissa drafted a short letter on my behalf and sent it by email and certified mail so no one could claim it got lost in feelings.
It stated that I would not be providing down payments, gap coverage, or informal loans. It stated that future contact was welcome when it did not arrive as a demand attached to my net worth. It stated that the foreclosure assistance from years earlier was, and remained, a gift—and that gifts do not generate equity shares in later success. Dad’s reply came through a tone of injured principle. Mom’s came through disappointment. Evan’s came as a screenshot forwarded by a cousin, captioned with a joke about penthouses and cold shoulders.
I blocked none of them. Blocking would have given the story a dramatic ending they could narrate at holidays. I simply stopped rearranging my life to soften their discomfort. The penthouse stayed quiet. The company kept its contracts. The graduation photo on my desk stayed uncorrected by any late appearance in the crowd.
