The apartment was quiet after Eloise's tears stopped.Brianna sat on the couch, her mother's hand in hers, the box of records on the table between them. Dawson stood by the window, his back to them, giving them space. The only sounds were the ticking of the clock on the wall and the soft hum of the city outside.Eloise's face was pale, her eyes red and swollen. She had not stopped shaking since Brianna walked in. Her hands were cold in Brianna's grip. Her whole body seemed smaller, frailer, like she had been carrying something heavy for a very long time and was finally letting it go."I didn't know," Eloise whispered. Her voice was thin, cracked. "About the debt. About the inflation. I thought I owed everything."Brianna squeezed her mother's hand. She could feel the bones beneath the skin, fragile and thin."Tell me what happened."Eloise took a shaky breath. She stared at the wall, her eyes unfocused, like she was seeing something far away."Before I met Declan, I had some debts. Sm
Read more