She rolled her eyes, clearly not interested in hearing me out. “Oh, please. Stop acting like it’s a big deal. It’s just a car. And like I said, I’m not paying for it. It’s your car, your problem.”

“My problem?” I repeated, my voice trembling. “You damaged it! You should be responsible for fixing it.”

Lindsay crossed her arms, her expression growing more defiant. “Not happening. I’m not spending my money on that piece of junk.”

At that moment, I wanted to scream, to yell at her for being so disrespectful. But I remembered what Derek had said before he left — “Don’t argue with her, Mom. It’s not worth it. I’ll handle things when I get back.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Lindsay, you need to understand that what you did was wrong. You can’t just —”

Before I could finish, my phone rang. I reached into my pocket and saw Derek’s name on the screen. Relief washed over me. Maybe he could talk some sense into her.

“Hello, Derek?” I answered, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Mom, what’s going on? Lindsay just texted me, saying you’re giving her a hard time.”

“Derek, she took my car without asking and crashed it. And now she’s refusing to pay for the repairs!” I blurted out, my frustration spilling over.