I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop. I didn’t go back to social media. Instead, I logged into my security dashboard.
I have a comprehensive smart-home system in the Malibu house—cameras, smart locks, climate control, even pool sensors. I’d paid a premium for it because I travel constantly for work and needed to monitor my property from anywhere in the world.
The screen filled with live camera feeds.
Camera one showed the driveway. My father’s beat-up Ford truck was parked there, already leaking oil onto my expensive pavers. Next to it sat a rental car—a white convertible. They’d splurged, probably assuming I’d end up covering the cost eventually.
Camera two showed the living room. My sister was sprawled on the indoor couch watching my eighty-five-inch television. She was eating chips directly from the bag, and I could see crumbs falling onto the leather.
Camera three captured the kitchen. My mother was cooking, using my copper pans—the expensive ones I hand-wash carefully after each use. She was scrubbing one with a rough sponge, and even from a thousand miles away, I could see she was scratching the finish.
Camera four showed the pool deck. My father was asleep on a lounger, a beer bottle sitting on the ground beside him.
I watched them move through my space like invaders, like an infestation taking over a new habitat.
I checked the access logs to see how they’d gotten in.
I scrolled back to yesterday afternoon.
2:00 p.m. Entry code used: “Mom Emergency.”
I closed my eyes and remembered. Four years ago, when I bought my first condo, I’d given my mother an emergency access code. I’d told her explicitly: “This is for emergencies only. Like if I’m in the hospital or if there’s a fire.”
I’d forgotten to delete it when I upgraded my security system at the new house. Out of habit, I’d set up the same user profiles.
She’d remembered that code. She’d kept it for four years, waiting for the right moment. She hadn’t called to ask permission. She’d just punched it in, hoping it would still work.
And it had.
She must have felt so clever. So smart.
I picked up my phone and dialed.
“Mark, it’s Aurora.”
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