Ryan stayed mostly in the corner at first, awkward and uncomfortable, as though he had entered another universe.
Eventually one of our cousins pulled him into a card game, and I watched his shoulders slowly relax.
He caught my eye once and mouthed, “Thank you.”
I nodded.
He had a long way to go.
But at least he was finally walking in the right direction.
Around midnight, after most people had left and the apartment was covered in empty plates and torn wrapping paper, there was another knock.
This time, I knew who it was before standing.
My whole body went still.
Ryan straightened on the couch.
“You don’t have to open it,” he murmured.
“I know,” I said, “but I did.”
I opened the door just enough to see her.
Margaret.
My mother.
She stood in the hallway wearing her best holiday dress, makeup smudged, hair slightly out of place, clutching her phone like a lifeline.
No backup.
No audience.
Just us.
“Olivia,” she said, voice low, not angry, not yelling. Something worse, small. “Can we talk?”
I stepped into the hallway and pulled the door mostly closed behind me, leaving a small crack so I could still hear the faint noise from my party.
My world.
“About what?” I asked. “About how I ruined your Christmas?”
She winced.
“You didn’t ruin it,” she said. “You ruined mine.”
“No,” I corrected. “I stopped pretending for you. You ruined yours all by yourself.”
Her eyes flashed.
For a moment, I expected her to snap back and unleash her favorite weapons.
Guilt.
