Penelope looked away.
“Mom says they only showed up to embarrass us.”
“They were invited because they earned their place.”
“And they won.”
“Yes,” I said. “They did.”
For a moment, her expression crumpled.
Then she whispered, “I studied for months.”
“I know.”
“I thought if I won, Mom would finally stop saying I wasn’t doing enough.”
My anger toward Cordelia softened into something more complicated.
Penelope was not responsible for her mother’s behavior.
She was another child who had been taught that achievement was the price of being valued.
“You deserved to be proud of your work regardless of the ranking,” I told her. “Your worth isn’t determined by whether you win a medal.”
She didn’t answer.
But she listened.
Months passed.
Chloe and Sophie continued to excel at school.
Their relationship with me remained cautious, but it grew more natural.
I learned not to show up unannounced.
I learned not to send expensive gifts.
