Adrian said we'd have to make the budget tighter since money was short, and I felt it everywhere, even when buying groceries.
I had a doctor's appointment coming up, and if she recommended new medication, I'd have to pay for it in cash. My feet hurt constantly now; I'd be in my third trimester soon, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep up with the chores.
I had hoped to ask Adrian again about hiring someone to help around the house, but I'd asked before, and he'd said it was a bad idea. Maybe now that I was pregnant, he'd say yes—but with money so tight, it felt impossible.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead. Saturdays were for deep cleaning, especially the kitchen floors. Mother liked them to shine, and the only way to make them sparkle was by scrubbing on my knees.
I stood up to take a short break, exhaustion hitting me like a wall.
"Mom, I'm heading out, Lena is picking me up!" Vivi's voice came from upstairs before she came clattering down the steps.
"Hey, Star," she called, leaning into the kitchen doorway, already dressed to go out. "Do you know where my shoes are? The shiny ones with the straps? I can't find them anywhere."
I straightened a little, trying to catch my breath. "You should check the shoe cabinet—"
She groaned dramatically. "Ugh, I already checked there. I wouldn't ask if I hadn't checked, obviously."
"You didn't let me finish. I meant the one in the hall—"
That's when I saw it: a glint of gold on her wrist. My body moved before I could think. I reached out and grabbed her arm. "Is that… is that my bracelet?"
"Huh?" Vivi blinked, then smiled like I'd just said something ridiculous. "What are you talking about? Also, ew, let go. Your hands are wet."
"Did you take that from my room?" I asked, my voice tight. The bracelet shimmered in the light—my mother's bracelet. I'd never even worn it. I just kept it close, remembering the way it jingled, how it had been the only thing the coroner gave me after the accident.
"Yes, and?" she said, yanking her arm free with a little smack.
"Vivi, you're getting older. You should know by now not to take things without asking first."
Before she could reply, Miranda's voice cut through the room. "Are you accusing Vivi of stealing?"
I turned, startled. I hadn't even heard her come down the stairs. "Of course not," I said quickly. "I just noticed she's wearing my brace—"
"Oh, so she can't even wear one of your hideous bracelets now?" Miranda snapped. "I thought you loved Vivi so much, and now you're making a fuss over something so small."
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my tone even. "I don't mind giving Vivi anything I have, as long as she asks first. And that bracelet isn't just jewelry—it belonged to my mother—"
"Oh, just stop, Star." Miranda waved a hand dismissively. "I get it now. You don't want Vivi wearing your mother's things. It's obvious we're not family to you."
Before I could say anything, the front door opened. Only one person ever came in and out like she lived here.
"Oh, hi," Lena said from the doorway, her voice light but uncertain. She looked perfect, hair pinned back, makeup flawless, like she had just stepped out of somewhere important. "What's going on?"
The room went still. For a second I wished I could disappear into the floor.
"Thank goodness, finally someone normal," Miranda said. "Can you talk to your friend here? She's accusing Vivi of stealing her jewelry."
"I never said that, Mother, please—"
Lena walked in and took Vivi's hand, her eyes falling on the jewelry around Vivi's wrist before looking back at me. "Come on, Star. Vivi can borrow it if she wants. It's just a piece of jewelry. What's the big deal?"
"I never said it was a big deal. It's just that it's my mother's jewelry and—"
Lena sighed, the sound full of disappointment. "And?"
It was sentimental, I wanted to say. But I could already feel their eyes on me, waiting for me to give in.
"Vivi, you can wear it," I said quietly. "I just wish you'd asked me first, that's all."
Vivi rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She tore the bracelet off and threw it to the floor so hard it clattered across the tiles. "I don't even want your stupid, ugly bracelet anyway."
I gasped and knelt down to pick it up. The apology I would have given to Vivi died on my lips as I lifted it from the floor. Thankfully, it was still in one piece. For the first time in my life, I felt something I couldn't name, something tight and unfamiliar in my chest.
"What the hell, Star?" Lena's voice cracked like a whip. "Arguing with a child over an old trinket? I didn't know you were so material."
Vivi's eyes began to water, and suddenly every gaze turned toward me. Miranda rushed to her side.
"Why would you even like something that old, Vivi? It's fine. I'll tell your brother to buy you a Tiffany bracelet. Why bother with this?"
"It's okay, Vivi," Lena said quickly. "Star is just like that because she's pregnant."
"She's awful either way," Vivi muttered. Then she turned to me, her voice sharp. "You should be grateful I even wore something of yours. Everything you own is trash anyway."
Maybe they expected me to apologize. That was usually my cue. But for some reason, the words wouldn't leave my lips.
A flicker of relief had passed through me when she said she didn't want my bracelet. At least I wouldn't have to give it up.
I stood, clutching the bracelet in my hand. The unfamiliar tightness in my chest didn't fade.
"Your shoes are in the shoe cabinet, Vivi," I said as I walked past them. I didn't look back.
In my room, I sat on the bed, still holding my mother's jewelry. The guilt hit me slowly. How could I have let the last thing I had of her be tossed around like that?
I'd never hidden anything from this family before. But this time I crouched under the bed and found a spot no one would think to check. I placed the bracelet there, where no one could see it, take it, or fling it away like it meant nothing.