Chapter 2: The Price of Respect
“Dad, stop!””
Mia lunged toward the desk.
Dad moved the handbag away before she could grab it.
Vanessa stepped between them.
“David, enough.””
Dad stared at her.
“No.””
That single word changed the room.
Vanessa blinked.
Dad was usually the peacemaker in our family.
He hated shouting.
He hated scenes.
Whenever Mia and I fought, he tried to find the middle ground.
Whenever Vanessa complained that I was “too sensitive,” he told me to give her time.
Whenever I said I felt like a guest in my own home, he reminded me that blending families was difficult.
But there was no middle ground in his face now.
He held up the handbag.
“Mia loves this, doesn't she?””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“You know she does.””
“And Emma loved that dress.””
“A dress is replaceable.””
Dad stared at her.
“So is a handbag.””
Vanessa's lips parted.
Mia stepped forward.
“That's different.””
“How?””
“It just is!””
“No.”” Dad's voice remained calm.
“Explain it.””
Mia looked at her mother.
Vanessa answered for her.
“The bag was expensive.””
Dad glanced at me.
I was still standing beside the ruined dress.
“Emma,” he said, “how much did you make per hour at the café?””
“Fourteen dollars plus tips.””
“And the grocery store?””
“Fifteen.””
He nodded.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
“Do you know how many weekends she worked?””
Vanessa said nothing.
“I do,” Dad continued.
“Because I watched her leave this house before sunrise while Mia was sleeping.””
“That's not Mia's fault,” Vanessa said.
“I didn't say it was.””
He placed the handbag back on the desk.
For one hopeful second, Mia exhaled.
Then Dad put the scissors beside it.
“You have two choices.””
Mia stared at him.
“What?””
“You replace Emma's dress tonight with your own money, or I cut the bag.””
“You can't be serious.””
“Try me.””
Mia looked at Vanessa.
“Mom!””
Vanessa's face flushed.
“David, you cannot threaten to destroy a three-thousand-dollar birthday gift over a childish fight.””
Dad's eyes narrowed.
“A childish fight?””
He pointed toward my floor.
“That wasn't a fight. Emma wasn't even here.””
I swallowed.
Dad looked at me.
“Were you?””
“No.””
“Where were you?””
“At work.””
The room went quiet again.
I saw something shift in Dad's face.
“You were at work when she did this?””
I nodded.
“I came home and found her in here.””
Dad turned slowly toward Mia.
“You went into her bedroom while she was working, took her dress, and deliberately cut it apart?””
Mia's eyes filled with tears.
It was remarkable how quickly she could cry when consequences appeared.
“She embarrassed me!””
Dad frowned.
“How?””
Mia didn't answer.
“Mia,” he said.
“How did Emma embarrass you?””
“She just did.””
“That isn't an answer.””
Vanessa touched Dad's arm.
“Let's discuss this privately.””
Dad pulled his arm away.
“No. Emma has spent years being told these things are misunderstandings. We're discussing this in front of her.””
My heart started pounding.
Years.
He had said years.
Maybe he finally saw it.
Mia wiped her cheeks.
“She told Grandma she bought the dress herself.””
I stared at her.
Dad looked confused.
“So?””
“Grandma started praising her.””
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
“At dinner?”” I asked.
“That's what this is about?””
Mia glared at me.
“You knew exactly what you were doing.””
“I answered a question.””
“You made me look spoiled!””
“You were wearing a fifteen-hundred-dollar jacket!””
“Mia,” Dad said sharply.
She stopped.
He stared at her for several seconds.
“So because your grandmother praised Emma for working, you destroyed something she worked for?””
Mia's silence answered him.
Dad picked up the scissors again.
“Then I think we're done talking.””
“Wait!””
Mia grabbed her handbag.
Dad didn't fight her for it.
Instead, he pointed toward the door.
“Get your wallet.””
“What?””
“We're going to the boutique.””
“It's closed.””
“Then we'll be standing outside when it opens.””
“My graduation is at ten,” I said quietly.
Dad looked at me.
“What time does the store open?””
“Nine.””
His expression tightened.
That wasn't enough time.
The boutique was nearly forty minutes away.
Vanessa seemed to realize it too.
“Well,” she said, “there's nothing anyone can do now.””
Something about the satisfaction in her voice made me look at her.
Dad noticed.
“What does that mean?””
“Nothing.””
“You sound pleased.””
Vanessa scoffed.
“Don't be absurd.””
Dad's phone buzzed in his pocket.
He ignored it.
I crouched and started collecting the pieces again.
“It's fine,” I whispered.
Dad turned.
“No, Emma.””
“I'll wear something else.””
“What?””
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't have anything else.
Not really.
My old black church dress was too small.
My one formal skirt had a stain near the hem.
I had spent everything I could spare on the graduation dress because I wanted one day where I didn't feel like the poor relation standing beside Mia.
Dad seemed to understand without me saying it.
He crouched beside me.
“Why didn't you tell me you needed help paying for it?””
“Because you told me to earn things I wanted.””
The words landed harder than I intended.
His face changed.
I immediately regretted saying them.
“Dad, I didn't mean—”
“No.””
He looked at the fabric in my hands.
“You're right.””
Behind him, Vanessa shifted uncomfortably.
Dad stood.
“I taught you to work for what you want.””
He looked at Mia.
“But apparently I forgot to teach someone else not to destroy what other people earned.””
Mia looked away.
Dad reached for his phone.
“Who are you calling?”” Vanessa asked.
“The boutique.””
“They're closed.””
“I know the owner.””
My head snapped up.
“You do?””
Dad didn't answer.
He walked into the hallway while the call rang.
Vanessa immediately moved toward Mia.
“Give me the bag.””
Mia handed it to her.
Vanessa hugged it against her chest like she was protecting a child.
Then she turned to me.
“I hope you're happy.””
I stared at her.
“Happy?””
“You've turned your father against us over a dress.””
My mouth fell open.
“I didn't do anything.””
“You cried until he lost his mind.””
“I came home and found my dress destroyed!””
“Keep your voice down.””
“Why?””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Because you have no idea what your father has sacrificed to keep this family together.””
Before I could ask what she meant, Dad returned.
His expression was different.
Not angry.
Confused.
He was still holding the phone.
“Emma.””
Something in his voice made my stomach twist.
“What?””
“The boutique owner remembers your dress.””
I nodded slowly.
“Okay.””
Dad looked at Vanessa.
Then at Mia.
“She remembers someone calling the store three days ago.””
Mia went perfectly still.
Vanessa's fingers tightened around the handbag.
Dad continued.
“Someone asked whether your exact dress could be replaced before graduation if something happened to it.””
My skin went cold.
I looked at Mia.
Her face had gone white.
Dad took one step toward her.
“Mia didn't make that call.””
Vanessa whispered, “David…”
He turned toward his wife.
May you like
His voice dropped.
“According to the boutique owner, you did.””
