“Michael said if you agree to pay Jason’s tuition, he’ll withdraw the complaint.”

“He’ll tell them the video was a fake created by a disgruntled third party.”

I looked down at my shoes, focusing on the small scuff mark on the leather.

“You helped them blackmail me,” I said.

“I was protecting my family, Liz,” Daniel said.

“I have two kids. I couldn’t let Michael take our home.”

“I am your sister,” I said.

“And you have a chief’s salary,” Daniel snapped, his tone suddenly turning defensive.

“You have no kids, no mortgage, no debt.”

“You could pay Jason’s tuition tomorrow and barely feel it.”

“Why do you have to be so stubborn about this?”

I stood in the quiet of my kitchen and felt a profound sense of isolation.

The people who shared my blood had spent the last forty-eight hours calculating my worth.

They had weighed my career against their debts and found my life to be a reasonable price to pay.

“I’m hanging up now, Daniel,” I said.

“Liz, wait,” he cried.

“If you don’t do this, Michael will ruin me. He promised he would.”