My mom, 54, got sick and quit her job. I moved in to care for her.

After she got better, she now wants me to pay her. She said, “You lived and ate for free for 6 months!”

But she froze when I revealed that I had secretly sold my car to cover her mortgage payments.

When she first got sick, everything happened so fast. The doctors said it was an aggressive case of pneumonia, and with her weakened immune system, she had to stop working immediately. My mom’s a proud woman — stubborn, independent. She never asked for help. But I could see it in her eyes: she was scared.

So I packed my bags, left my tiny apartment, and moved back into my childhood home. My job allowed me to work remotely, but the medical bills kept stacking up. Between prescriptions, doctor visits, and her mortgage, I knew her savings wouldn’t last long.