The kitchen fell silent.
Mrs. Cullen didn't even turn around. She already knew who was standing behind us.
"Put the phone down, Robert," she said calmly. Her voice trembled slightly, but she remained firm. "This has gone on long enough. Harrison doesn't own us. He never did."
"He pays our bills," Mr. Cullen replied as he stepped fully into the room. His face was red, and he looked like a man caught between shame and desperation. "He gave us our son when we had nothing. I can't just turn my back on him. Not when everything we have is at risk."
"He didn't give us Xander. He used him!" Mrs. Cullen's voice rose. "And now you're willing to sacrifice a young girl's future for money we should never have accepted in the first place?"
"I'm doing this for our family!"
"No," I said, stepping fo
