"Sophie, why do you always choose to go head-to-head with people who are clearly more powerful than us? Why?" Mom said, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face.

My heart crushed at the sight of her. "I'm so sorry, Mommy. I promise I will fix this."

"How?" she cried, her eyes burning with rage and terror. "If anything happens to my grandbaby because of your selfishness, I will never forgive you."

With those harsh words, she walked away, leaving me astonished and guilty. It was the worst possible moment for Alex to call, and I found myself torn between answering and ignoring it. Thinking of what I was...