“Plans changed. Please cancel. Thank you.”
Finally, I called Grandma.
She answered on the second ring.
“Liv, are you excited for Christmas at your mother’s?” she asked, already sounding breathless with anticipation.
My throat tightened, but I didn’t show it.
“Actually, Grandma, Mom told me she’s really overwhelmed this year,” I said carefully. “She’s scaling things way back. But I didn’t want you to be stuck alone. So, how would you feel about spending Christmas at my place instead? I’ll come get you.”
There was a pause.
Then a soft, excited laugh.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’d love that. It’s been a while since I saw your apartment. Your mother’s been so busy, she hardly lets me visit.”
“Yeah,” I said, staring at the wall. “Busy.”
After hanging up, I checked the chats again.
My mother had created a smaller side group labeled immediate family only and was furiously typing.
Notifications stacked up.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with Olivia. She’s trying to ruin Christmas.”
“Ryan, you need to talk some sense into her.”
She genuinely believed I was the problem.
That was fine.
She could complain inside her little bubble.
The rest of the family was already making other plans.
Around midnight, my phone lit up again.
Ryan.
Video call.
I answered.
His face filled the screen, tired and annoyed.
