"Jeanette! Where are you? How come you're not back yet? You said three days!"

Her tone shifted, dripping with warmth. "We're at your front door right now. We were worried you'd be lonely, so we thought the whole family could have dinner together, catch up a little."

If I hadn't already known exactly what she was after, I might have actually believed she cared.

I kept my voice light, a little flustered. "Wait, you're at the house? Why didn't you call me first?"

"My parents just can't bear to let Caroline go yet. We decided to stay a few extra days, so I bought tickets for the day after tomorrow."

I paused, then added, "How about this—I'll bring Caroline over to see you all when we get back?"

Leila let out a dry laugh. "Oh, I see. My fault, then. I should've called ahead."

"Mom can't bear to be away from you. She's been thinking about you and Caroline these past few days, worried sick you might do something rash."

"When you two come back, let us come to you instead. You'll be exhausted from the trip."

Kay leaned in, her voice dripping with false concern. "Jeanette, don't push yourself too hard."

"If anything's bothering you, if you feel wronged in any way, just tell us. We're your rock. We're your family."

I murmured a couple of agreeable sounds and offered a few polite words before hanging up.

Not long after, the three of them grumbled outside the door for a minute, then left together.

The moment they were gone, I grabbed Caroline and rushed straight to my parents' house without stopping.

It wasn't until I stood at their front door that the knot in my chest finally loosened.

My mom opened the door and saw me. She was so overwhelmed she couldn't speak.

My eyes burned. I threw my arms around her.

"Mom, we're home."

In my last life, I'd owed my parents more than I could ever repay. I'd spent every waking moment looking after Kay, never daring to slack off, never daring to leave her side for a second. Decades had passed without a single visit home.

Now I could finally make it up to them.

Caroline copied me, toddling over and wrapping her little arms around us both.

"Grandma! We're home!"

My parents couldn't get enough of us.

At dinner, my dad kept piling food onto my plate like a man possessed.

"How long has it been? You're skin and bones!"

"Eat more! These are all your favorites."

My mom focused on Caroline's plate instead.

"Caroline, you eat up too."