"It's twins," the doctor said. "Then I won't be your scapegoat this time," I snapped. A dozen heads turned. Muriel's hand tightened on my sleeve so hard it hurt. "Kaydence," she began, eyes shining with the kind of pride that expects obedience, "this is a blessing. You will help. You must help." "I already helped," I said. I pulled my arm free. "I paid for the prenatal scans. I paid for the private room when Elena wanted comfort. I covered the last ER bill when Mason decided to celebrate his promotion with tequila." I named the amounts one by one. "Twenty thousand for scans, three for extra nurses, two for the ER. Total? Twenty-five thousand, plus time." Mason flushed. He opened his mouth and then closed it. "Stop," the doctor said, irritated and professional. "You need to be calm. The mother is pushing—talk later." Muriel's smile thinned. "You're speaking of money at a moment like this?" "I'm speaking because you always bring up duty and guilt when you want free labor," I said. Nurses by the doors paused. A woman in scrubs adjusted her mask and watched. "Mason, did you hear her?" Muriel said, voice pitched to shame him into agreement. "Your sister is ungrateful. After everything—" "Everything?" I laughed, sharp. "You mean after I paid for every extra that made Elena comfortable enough to call herself a mother? That everything?" Mason's face went pale. He tried a weak joke. "It