"Oh, don't be dramatic," she replied. "Lucas is a legal adult now. He deserves to hear this."
She turned her full attention to my brother.
"Sweetheart, the house you two live in belonged to your parents. Now that you're of age, it needs to be sold. Split fairly. And as your mother's only sister, I'm legally entitled to a portion of the estate."
The room went painfully silent.
"It needs to be sold."
One of our second cousins pretended to inspect her napkin.
"That house was left to us," I said, keeping my voice level. "You know that."
"I know what I know," she snapped. "And I know that for eight years I've watched you struggle to raise this boy on scraps. Selling the house would give him a real future. College. A car. Something you clearly can't provide on your salary."
The words hit exactly where she meant them to.
