“Hi.” I sound weary. I am weary. I’m tired of all of this—of my life being jerked around by other people. Of my absolute lack of ability to do anything about it. Like I said to Conor, I’m sick of being such a pushover. With that thought, I sit up straighter and look my mom dead in the eye. “What do you want?”

She winces, only for a split second, but I see it. “Do you mind if I come in?”

I shake my head. “Fine. Sure.”

She tiptoes into my room, grabs the chair from my desk, and drags it close to my bed. She takes a seat on it and clears her throat. “I came home from work early today—”

“Congratulations.” I interrupt her.

She gives me a tight-lipped smile. “Okay. I get it. You’re angry. Can I continue? I didn’t come in here to argue. I’m sorry I haven’t been here much this week; we’re ramping up to the trial and things have been nuts.”

“No different than any other week,” I mutter.

“Zach.” Her voice is sharp like a slap, but I don’t care. I keep going.

“Yeah, Mom. You know it’s no different than any other week. The fact that you haven’t been here. You’re never here.”

Her cheeks flush. Her lips have disappeared into a thin line, and I know—I just know—that she’s about to lay into me for being a jerk to her. But after several moments of tense silence, she nods. “You’re right. You have every right to be upset. I know this year hasn’t been easy on your or your sister. I hope you know that wasn’t my intention when I took this case.”

I shake my head in disgust. Like she cares.

As if she just read my mind, she says, “I care.”

She’s looking at me like she used to when I was little, before she started working eighty-hour weeks and I never saw her. Before my dad stopped being a functioning human being and I had real, actual parents. I bite my bottom lip to keep it from quivering.

“Do you remember when you were about ten years old? I had just started working at the firm, and they put me on an awful case.”

“I remember that you missed my baseball games that season.”

She frowns and nods. “Yes. I did. I’m sorry. I know I missed more than a few, over the years.” She continues, “Do you remember any details about that case?”

I shake my head.