“You gave me that flat,” I said.
“It’s my flat!” my mother shouted. “The family refuses to let my pregnant cousin stay at the door.”
“You gave it to me, though!”
“Can’t you see? This is family! How can you treat your own niece like that? She’s pregnant and has nowhere to go!”
Elodie gripped her phone in the kitchen. Her mother’s voice, pleading yet accusatory, echoed from the handset. Classic Mom: even when asking a favor, she made me feel guilty.
“Mom, I’d like to help, but” she faltered, searching for words. “Amélie has been living with me for eight months. Eight! Remember when Aunt Valérie said ‘two weeks, just until she finds a job’?”
“And? The market’s tough right now”
“She doesn’t even look for work!” a wave of irritation washed over Elodie. “Yesterday she spent the whole day in the bathroom making hair masks, then bingewatched series. And then”
“Elodie, she’s pregnant”
“She found out a month ago! And before that?”
A heavy silence settled. Elodie heard her mother’s theatrical sigh, the one that meant, “What an insensitive daughter; I raised you wrong.”
“Mom, this is my apartment. You bought Aunt Valérie’s share for me, right?”
“Technically,” her mother snapped, “it belongs to the family. We’re just letting you live there.”
Elodie closed her eyes. Same old refrain.
“I thought it was a gift for my graduation.”
“Of course! But you know how it works in a family”
“What is it supposed to be?” Elodie interrupted. “Tolerating Amélie eating my groceries, using my stuff, and inviting her boyfriend when I’m not home? The same guy who got her pregnant, by the way.”
“Elodie!” her mothers tone hardened. “Aunt Valérie has done so much for us! When Dad was ill, who helped? Who looked after you when I worked day and night?”
She exhaled. She knew that chorus by heart: the endless debt to Aunt Valérie.
“I’m grateful, truly. But that doesn’t mean I have to”
“She called me yesterday,” her mother cut in, “in tears. She says you’re harassing Amélie over trivial things.”
Elodie laughed.
“Trivial? She took my new sweater without asking and stained it with juice! Then she had the nerve to say, ‘You dont mind, were family,’ without even apologizing!”
“It’s just a piece of clothing”
“Its not the sweater!” her throat tightened. “Its about respect, boundaries. Coming home and feeling like a stranger.”
Another silence. Then her mother whispered, trying to persuade:
“Your grandmother would have been so disappointed. To her, family meant”
“No,” Elodie snapped. “Dont bring her up every time we argue.”
“But its true! The flat came from her inheritance. She wanted”
“What? That I house Amélie forever? That I put up with her whims? That”
The phone buzzed: Aunt Valérie. Of course.
“Mom, its Aunt. Probably here to tell me what a bad cousin I am.”
“Answer her. Be reasonable.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “Ill call back later.”
As she ended the call, she braced herself for more accusations.
“Hello, Aunt Valérie?”
“My dear!” a voice sang. “How are you, my sunshine?”
“Sunshine,” Elodie grimaced. That nickname never sounded good.
“Fine.”
“Amélie mentioned misunderstandings between us?”
She rolled her eyes. “Misunderstandings.” Naturally.
“Aunt, you said two weeks. A month at most.”
“You sound like a notary!” she forced a laugh. “Family doesnt do that.”
“And what does family do?” Elodies anger rose. “Steal my stuff? Invite friends when Im not there?”
“Look, Amélie is just sociable, she”
“Shes used to us fixing everything for her. My parents bought your share. It was a gift to me.”
“Not exactly,” the tone chilled. “Its a family inheritance. Your mother and I agreed”
“That youd sell your share to my parents at market price.”
“Money, always money!” a hysterical note. “And Amélie’s baby? Have you thought about where shell go?”
“She has a boyfriend. The father, by the way.”
“An irresponsible one! He left Lyon when he learned about the pregnancy.”
She wondered why, then answered:
“You have a threeroom flat, you and Uncle Claude. Why doesnt she live with you?”
A telling silence.
“Its complicated. Claude works from home. And you get along so well! It would be a great mothering experience for you.”
“So well,” Elodie said with a bitter smile. Amélie, the perpetual irresponsible, while she, the “serious” one, always had to give in.
“I cant keep this up. She has to go.”
“What?!” the voice turned shrill. “Shes pregnant! You want to stress her into a miscarriage?”
Elodie held back insults, using the ultimate weapon: vicarious guilt.
“Im not kicking her out now. She has a month to”
“Im calling your mother! This is scandalous! After everything weve done for you!”
The line cut. Her hands shook.
The front door slammed. Heels clicked.
“Elo!” a sugary voice cooed. “Guess who I ran into? Clara from school! She married a tech billionaire. Her ringso envious!”
Amélie walked in, tanned, perfect nails, designer jeans. No sign of distress.
“Hey, what if we rearranged?” she plopped onto a chair. “Move the couch to the window? Make a little nook for the baby”
Elodie stared, feeling the last of her patience snap.
“Amélie, we need to talk.”
“Not now, okay?” Amélie waved a hand. “Headache. Hormones! Im going to rest.”
“Amélie,” Elodie raised her voice. “You have to leave.”
A gasp.
“What?”
“You have a month to find a place.”
“Are you kidding? This is our inheritance! I have as much right as you!”
“No. My parents bought the share. Its legal.”
“Family outruns the law! Im pregnant!”
“You have your parents. The father. Friends.”
“Im calling Mom!” Amélie pulled out her phone.
“Useless. She already called.”
Amélie glared, full of hate.
“Aunt Valérie and Mom will sort this. Youll regret it!”
The door shut.
Elodie looked out the window. Instead of guilt, she felt a tired relief.
Her phone buzzed: a text from her mother, “Aunt Valérie is devastated. What did you do?”
Without replying, she opened a browser: “Apartment rentals Bordeaux.”
Three months later, Elodie sipped coffee at Place de la Comédie, opposite Théo, her boyfriend shed met in Paris.
“No regrets?” he asked.
“None. Just wish I’d acted sooner.”
Her phone rang. Her father.
“Hello, Dad.”
“I have news. We sold the flat.”
“Grandmas place? But”
“Amélie moved back with her parents.” He let out a dry laugh. “After you left, she tried to crash back in, but Weve had enough. The money is yours.”
“Mine?”
“Yes. It was your gift. Sorry we put you under pressure.”
Tears rose.
“Thank you.”
“Be happy. Were proud, even when we didnt support you.”
She hung up, watching snow fall over Bordeaux.
“Everything okay?” Théo squeezed her hand.
“I think I finally became an adult. Really.”
The snow gently erased the past, opening a new chapter where she would decide who to welcome into her home and her heart.
