Chapter 15
The unborn baby was a girl.
We found out quietly.
Maren cried.
Sienna celebrated because apparently sisters outranked every other possible result.
Then she asked:
“Grandma pick name?”
Maren and I looked at each other.
“No,” I said.
“Mommy and Daddy.”
Sienna frowned.
“And me?”
Fair.
“All three of us.”
That became dangerous.
Sienna suggested Princess.
Then Pancake.
Then Sparkle.
We continued negotiations.
Eventually Maren and I chose Elena.
Sienna accepted under protest.
Agatha heard through another relative.
She sent one message.
Your father’s name should continue.
I deleted it.
Not out of fear.
Not anger.
Because the decision was already finished.
That was the new boundary.
Not every opinion deserved a confrontation.
Some simply ended at the door.
Maren noticed I deleted it.
“Nothing dramatic?”
“No.”
“You’re growing.”
“Terrifying.”
She laughed.
Good.
May you like
I had spent my whole life thinking dominance meant answering every challenge.
Sometimes power was not entering the argument.
