When Love Locked by Mark Twain 1

Chapter 1 Got Laid Off

Right before Thanksgiving dinner, I was scrolling through my phone when a trending hashtag caught my eye. “Share Your Small Wins This Year.”

I clicked on it, and the top comment showed a picture of a property deed.

“Finally closed on my first place! So thankful to my amazing mom for gifting me this studio apartment. Couldn’t have done it without family support!”

The user hadn’t blurred out everything, and I could see the property registration number peeking out. The exact same number as the condo I’d bought for Mom last month. The one she was supposed to retire in.

The profile picture showed a little orange cat. My sister’s cat.

Right at that moment, my sister, Stella Henderson, was sitting next to me on the couch, scrolling through her phone with that same cat purring in her lap. She was practically giggling at all the jealous