Our arguments grew more frequent.
Eventually, Cordelia moved into a separate residence with Penelope.
I didn’t use money to punish her.
I didn’t threaten to destroy her life.
I simply stopped allowing financial arrangements to dictate my decisions.
Penelope, meanwhile, had her own feelings about the competition.
She had spent years under pressure to achieve the kind of success Cordelia expected.
When she learned that Chloe and Sophie were my daughters, she assumed I would abandon her.
I asked to speak with her privately.
“I know this is difficult,” I told her. “But none of this is your fault.”
She folded her arms.
“Are you going to stop paying for my education?”
“We’ll honor the commitments we’ve made. But your mother and I need to discuss the future carefully.”
“Are you going to give them everything?”
“No.”
“Then what do you want?”
I considered the question.
“I want all three of you to have the chance to build lives you choose for yourselves. I don’t want any of you to believe you must compete for my attention or approval.”
