Ellie clutched the phone, fingers tracing her planner as the kitchen’s warmth turned stale. The annual family trip was tradition—same week, same resort, same fights over rooms.
Her mother, Caroline, was booking. “You and Rebecca will share a room,” she said.
Ellie frowned. “No, Mom. It’s me, Jason, and the kids.”
Caroline scoffed. “They’re not your real children. I’m not paying for strangers.”
“They’re my family,” Ellie replied, voice firm.
Caroline dismissed them, saying, “Blood matters, not Jason’s past.”
Ellie clenched her jaw. “Then I’ll pay for the room.”
“Ellie—”
“No. If you can’t accept my kids, you lose us.”
The line went dead.
The road ahead shimmered under the Texas heat as Jason drove, his jaw tight. Ellie let out a breath. “She didn’t even try to hide it. Dismissed them like they don’t matter.”
Jason sighed. “Maybe we should skip this year.”
Ellie shot him a glare. “So she doesn’t face reality?”
Jason softened. “I don’t want you hurt.”
Ellie swallowed hard. “If she can’t accept them, she loses all of us.”
Later, at the hotel, the tension was thick as Caroline stood near the reception. Ellie’s stomach twisted as her mother dismissed the kids, but Ellie refused to acknowledge it. She grabbed their bags and walked away.
At dinner, the conversation turned icy when Caroline suggested separating the kids. Ellie snapped, “You made your choice, Mom. And now I’m making mine.”
After a tense confrontation, Ellie walked out, hand in hand with Jason, leaving her family behind.
Later, Rebecca knocked, pleading with Ellie to talk to their mother. Ellie hesitated but finally agreed. Caroline, tearful, admitted she was afraid of losing Ellie and family tradition. She offered Ellie a necklace passed down through generations. Slowly, Ellie accepted, her emotions tangled but softened by her mother’s apology.
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