Chapter 10 - Ben draws a line I dislike
Ben and I had been married four years.
He knew my family pattern.
He had mostly stayed out.
Sometimes too much.
After Diane barged into our house, he said:
“I don’t want her here without asking first.”
I immediately bristled.
“She’s my mother.”
“I know.”
“You don’t get to ban my family.”
“I didn’t.”
“You just—”
“Elena.”
He rarely interrupted me.
“You were one week postpartum holding a crying newborn and she came in demanding money.”
I stared.
“I want the door locked. She calls first.”
My first reaction was:
Control.
Interesting.
My family had trained me to interpret boundaries around them as betrayal.
I said:
“I need to decide that.”
Ben nodded.
“Okay.”
That mattered.
Then:
“What do you decide?”
I looked toward the front door.
“Calls first.”
“Okay.”
“No key.”
“She has a key?”
Of course she did.
For emergencies.
Diane’s word.
We changed the lock code that afternoon.
No revenge.
May you like
No scene.
Just access matching permission.
