Fine.I pressed my lips together, reached for my phone, and finally replied to his message.“Okay.”Nothing more. No drama, no curse words. Just okay. Let him wonder what I meant. Let him wonder what I did.
That afternoon, the loan officer called.“Mrs. Taylor, we noticed you revoked your co-signature on the Green Leaf mortgage file for Jacob Taylor and Ellie Taylor. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” I said calmly. “That’s correct.”There was a polite pause on the other end, tightening the air.
“Unfortunately, that will significantly impact their creditworthiness. We’ll have to halt approval pending a new co-signer or full income verification.”

“I understand,” I said. “Have a nice day.”I hung up.Less than ten minutes later, Jacob called. I didn’t answer. I sat on the couch nursing my arm, listening to the phone ring out.
Then Ellie texted. “What did you do?”That made me laugh. Not a bitter laugh. A real one, the kind that comes from a place so deep in your chest you forgot it existed.

I typed back one word, the same word I had given Jacob.“Okay.”What I meant was: you made a mistake, and now you will learn what that costsThe next morning, I woke to twenty-three missed calls. Seven voicemails from Jacob, desperate and confused.But the last one made me freeze.“Mom, please call me,” he said. “Ellie says she’s pregnant.”My heart slammed.