The kind of hope Clara hadn’t felt in months. “Evan will be so relieved,” she said quietly. “He’s been worried about the bills. Maybe this will take some pressure off him.” Maggie paused, eyes narrowing slightly. “Maybe don’t tell him just yet.” Clara frowned. “Why not?” “Let’s wait until it’s in my account,” Maggie said carefully.
“You know how these things go — paperwork, transfers, delays. No sense raising expectations until it’s real.” Clara hesitated, then nodded. “Alright.” But as her mother tucked the blanket around her shoulders and dimmed the lights, a quiet thought lingered at the back of Clara’s mind — the feeling that her mother’s warning wasn’t about the money at all.