When they found out my mom lived alone, they asked to stay with her. Mom’s two-story house was big, but after a car accident left her in a wheelchair, she had a live-in nurse to help.

“Please, Aeloria,” Sylva begged at Mom’s house over dinner. “We’re out of options and broke.”

I knew how much this hurt Vion—he felt helpless. When Mom agreed, Vion squeezed my hand under the table, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Of course, you can stay,” Mom said warmly. “As long as you need.”

At first, things went smoothly. Sylva cooked meals, and Dren mowed the lawn and kept things tidy.

But then things turned sour, and social services got involved. It was a total mess.

Here’s what happened.

My in-laws started grumbling that Mom took up the whole first floor—which made sense, since my sister and I had made it her space after her accident. She needed it to move around easily, and the second floor was for us when we visited.