After I said no, my entitled brother sent his kids in a taxi to my former address, not realizing I had already moved. The new tenant made a quick phone call that set off consequences my brother never saw coming and I watched everything unravel.

Brittany called in tears, claiming she didn’t know he’d sent them alone. I believed she hadn’t known the exact details—but I told her plainly: “If you want stability for those kids, you both have to stop assuming I’m your backup plan.”

The kids returned home under supervision a few days later. The handoff happened at CPS. Jason signed the safety agreement in front of a caseworker.

I also drove back to my old duplex with a thank-you card for Marcus.

“Don’t apologize for someone else’s choices,” he told me. “Just protect those kids.”

I promised I would.

And I learned something important.