CAELAN POV
I walked my mother to the mini study, because the sitting room was no longer a neutral space and we both knew it.
She sat down, and I closed the door. I stood by the window with my hands in my pockets and waited. My mother had something to say, and the only useful thing I could do was let her say it before things got worse.
"That woman," she began, "has been in this house for how long?"
"Eight weeks," I said.
"Eight weeks." She repeated it in disgust. "And in those weeks, she has completely taken over my grandchildren."
"She hasn't"
"Jasper spoke back to me," she said. "Jasper. That child has never raised his voice to anyone in his life, and he stood up in that room and defended her like she was" She stopped. "Like she was family."
"He was upset," I said. "He's six."
