Her mother tensed. “All men have frailties. And urges. Sometimes it’s best to turn a blind eye. If you’d—”

“I don’t want to talk about that.”

“All I’m saying is that blame is never all on one side.”

“It is in this case.”

“Is it? You’ve put on a lot of weight since you lost your job. Too much sitting around moping. You might think that’s harsh, but I’m your mother and it’s my job to speak the truth.” Her mother scrubbed at a stubborn mark on the mirror. “At your age I could fit into the same clothes I wore when I was sixteen. Never put on an ounce of weight.”

Chip, chip, chip.

How did famous sculptors know exactly when to stop chiseling? At what point did they turn a masterpiece into a ruin?

“It’s kilograms now, Mum.”

“In your case, maybe. You’re beyond being measured in ounces, that’s for sure. You’re eating because you’re bored and unhappy, and that’s your own fault for giving everything up so easily. First college, and now Steven. You should have stuck it out and graduated like your sister instead of throwing it all away. At least then you’d stand a chance of finding a job. You’re paying the price for your bad decisions.”

Her mother, whose own life had been a disappointment, had hoped for more from her two daughters. She’d wanted to live vicariously through their business lunches, international travel or endless promotions. Martha’s older sister, Pippa, had gained favor by qualifying as a physiotherapist and securing a very glamorous job at a swanky private gym where a few famous names trained, thus giving her mother plenty to boast about over the garden fence.

Martha, unfortunately, had provided her with nothing but embarrassment.

“I didn’t graduate because I wanted to take care of Nanna.” And she missed her grandmother as much now as she had in the beginning. There was a corner of her heart that felt numb and lonely. “After she had her stroke I didn’t want to miss a single moment of being with her. I couldn’t concentrate on lectures or essays thinking of her all on her own. It didn’t seem important.”

“But now you’re realizing it was important.”

“Nothing is more important than the people you love.” She didn’t say family. Her family drove her to distraction. Whatever she did, she seemed unable to gain their approval. Her opinion seemed worth nothing. Her wishes even less. She wasn’t sure she would have given up her degree to care for any of them. But her grandmother—“I will never regret the time I spent with her.”