Tori thought she could leave four children with me while she flew to Japan, but she forgot one important detail: I had a flight of my own that afternoon, and I wasn't canceling it this time.

"Where are the kids now?" I asked, pushing the anger down to focus on what mattered.

"They're with me at our house," Caleb said. "Patrice stayed until my flight got in yesterday morning. Mom... the house was a disaster. The kids were terrified when they woke up on your porch that day. Leo told me he thought they were being put up for adoption because of the suitcases."

A knife twisted in my heart. My sweet seven-year-old grandson, thinking his parents had discarded him like trash.

"Patrice gave me the invoice," Caleb went on, his voice cracking. "Four thousand dollars for the emergency nanny team, the legal fees, the grocery run. I paid her every penny out of my personal savings account yesterday."

"Good," I said. "That was your debt to pay."

"I know," Caleb whispered. "Mom, I am so sorry. For years... I let Tori push you around because it was easier than fighting her. Every time she demanded you babysit, every time she made comments about your retirement, I just stayed quiet so she wouldn't scream at me. I was a coward."

"Yes, you were," I agreed without hesitation. "You let your wife treat your mother like an employee, Caleb. And you let her treat your children like luggage."

"I know," he choked out. "I'm done. I spoke with a divorce attorney this morning. I'm filing for full custody, and I'm asking for exclusive possession of the house. But Mom... what is she doing there? What does she want from you?"

"She wants a scapegoat," I said, watching a flock of pigeons scatter across the cobblestones. "She wants someone to pay her way out of the hole she dug. But she picked the wrong country, Caleb. I'm hanging up now. I have business to finish."

"Mom, wait—don't give her money. Please. Let her face the consequences."

"Don't worry, son," I said. "I didn't fly four thousand miles to be an enabler."

I ended the call, picked up my purse, and looked at Linda.

"Ready?" Linda asked, a fierce grin touching the corners of her mouth.