“You should have thought about that before you set fire to your father’s things.” Crystal folds her arms.

Savi nervously opens and closes her fingers. “Fine. I did it, okay? I was tired of looking at the boxes, and you were never going to do it, so I did.”

“Savi.”

“I did! I swear. Now can you hire Pam back, please?” She runs to the front door. “Pam!” She screams into the open night and Crystal gently pulls her inside.

“Savi, stop. Stop it right now.”

Savi bucks, and Crystal wraps both arms around her little body while Savi fights against her. “You can’t fire her! You can’t! I need her.” Her sobs escalate then muffle against Crystal’s middle. “Please. I need her.”

“Just calm down. Take some deep breaths.”

Savi sucks big breaths and Crystal waits until she stops crying. She guides her to the couch. “Talk to me.”

Savi looks up. “You’re never happy.”

Crystal forces herself not to react. “What does that mean?”

“I know those boxes make you sad. I wanted them to go away too.”

“So you dragged them out there all by yourself? How is that even possible?”

She shrugs. “Pam was napping. She was tired. It didn’t take long.”

“You cannot set fires, young lady. Do you understand me? You could have died.”

She swipes her nose. “I know.”

“Do you, Savi?” She scratches her forehead. “Are you not getting enough attention?”

“I just want Pam back. Please hire her back. It wasn’t her fault.”

She sighs. “It is her fault if these things keep happening and she’s the one taking the blame.”

“She’s only doing that so I won’t get in trouble. She’s my friend.”

Crystal stands. “No, she’s not your friend. She’s your nanny. She’s an adult, Savi. There’s a difference.” Crystal senses another tantrum coming, and she quickly backtracks. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay? Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed.”

“But—”

“Savi, go.”

She nods.

“And there are going to be some serious consequences for what you’ve done,” she calls simply before her daughter disappears upstairs. She doesn’t want to negate her feelings or make her feel worse by forcing false remorse or an apology, but her actions have pushed things into new territory. She locates her phone and sends Dr. Gibbons a frantic text to see if she can squeeze both of them in for an appointment tomorrow.

She thinks about pouring herself a giant glass of wine but wants to wait until Savi is in bed. While Savi brushes her teeth, she grabs the laundry and puts it away. Upstairs, she hears Savi humming while she changes into pajamas. Down the hall, she enters the last room on the left.