I caught my dad on my security camera planning to move my brother into my house while I was on a trip, and when my mom said, “Once everything is here, she will not make a scene. She will just accept it,” I set a trap for them.

He wrapped his hands around the coffee cup and stared at the surface.

“I’ve been thinking about everything. About the past thirty-four years.”

I waited.

“I owe you an apology,” he said finally. “Not just for the house, though that too. For longer. For all of it.”

He looked up, and his eyes were wet.

“I watched your mother favor Kyle. I watched her dismiss you. I watched her make you feel like you mattered less. And I said nothing because saying something meant fighting with Donna.”

He stopped.

“I was a coward.”

“Yes,” I said quietly. “You were.”

He flinched, but he did not argue.

“I told myself you were strong enough to handle it. That you didn’t need me to step in. But that was just an excuse.”

He wiped his eyes with a napkin.

“The truth is, I chose peace with your mother over fairness for you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”