Daniel looked at his mother, and the silence that fell over the room became almost unbearable. His hands were clenched into fists, his gaze lost between Marta and me. I knew he was struggling with himself—between his love for his mother and his duty to me. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and sat down beside me.

“Mom…” she said softly. “Emma is right.”

Marta watched him, incredulous.

— What did you just say? Are you going to let him talk to me like that in your own house?

“In our house, Mom,” he replied slowly, firmly. “And he hasn’t disrespected you. He’s only told you the truth.

“That’s the truth!” Marta exclaimed, raising her voice. “I raised you! I gave you everything! And this is how you repay me?”

“Yes, you raised me,” Daniel replied calmly. “But you taught me to be responsible. And being responsible also means knowing how to say ‘no.’”

Marta’s eyes blazed with anger, but something else appeared in her expression: weariness. She lowered her shoulders, as if all her weight had suddenly caught up with her.

“I just wanted to help,” she said in a softer voice. “Not for myself, but for Leo… for Klara. You know how hard it is for her to be alone.”

“I know,” Daniel replied, “but we can’t sacrifice our lives for others. We can advise Leo, help him find a scholarship, a job… but we won’t give him all our savings.”

Marta let out a deep sigh and slumped down on the sofa.

“So you’re not going to help him…” he murmured. “After everything I’ve done for you, Daniel.”

“Mom, don’t do that,” he said gently. “We’ve never asked you for anything. We’ve always been grateful. But now you have to understand that we’re adults.”

Marta remained silent. Her hands trembled slightly, and I didn’t know if she was going to cry or explode again. Several seconds passed before she spoke again.

“You know, Emma,” she finally said, without looking at me, “I’ve struggled alone my whole life. No one helped me. I thought that if I kept my children close, we’d always be together. That family means sharing everything.”

“It does mean that,” I replied calmly, “but it doesn’t mean deciding for others. Sometimes, the best way to help is to let someone learn to stand on their own two feet.”

Marta looked up. There was no longer anger in her eyes, but sadness.

— Maybe you’re right. Maybe I try to control everything too much.

Daniel smiled, relieved.

— Mom, I know you want what’s best for everyone. But you have to let us live our lives our way. Let us make our own mistakes.

— And what if you fail? — she asked, her voice trembling.

“Then we’ll try again,” I replied. “Like you did your whole life.”

The silence that followed was long, but not awkward. It was the kind of silence that heals. Marta nodded slowly and looked out the window. Outside, the lights of Berlin twinkled, and life went on, indifferent to our little family earthquake.

“Perhaps you’re right,” he finally said. “Perhaps Leo needs to learn to fight for himself. I’ll help him… but in a different way. Not with money.”

Daniel took a deep breath, relieved.

— Thank you, Mom. That means a lot to us.

Marta gave a slight smile.

“You’re a good man, son. And you, Emma…” He looked at me with a gesture that mixed weariness and respect, “you’re strong. Sometimes too strong.”

I laughed softly.

— I know. But at least I’m honest.

She shook her head and looked at her watch.

— It’s late. I’ll stay here for the night. I’m going back to Hamburg tomorrow.

“Stay,” Daniel said. “We’ll have breakfast together.”

When she went to the other room, Daniel hugged me.

— Do you know that today you didn’t just save our savings?

— What do you mean? — I asked.

— That perhaps you also saved our family. For the first time, Mom really listened to me.

I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder.

— Sometimes you have to shake the world up a bit to make things fall into place.

The next morning, Marta was already dressed, with her suitcases by the door. I wanted to think she was leaving quickly so she wouldn’t have to turn back. But her expression was different: calm.

“Thank you for everything, children,” she said. “Yesterday was difficult, but today… I feel lighter. Perhaps it’s time to stop trying to save everyone.”

“You don’t have to save the world, Mom,” Daniel replied, squeezing her hand. “You just have to be with us.”

Marta smiled, hugged us both, and left. When the door closed, the apartment fell silent, but it was a good, clean, new calm.

We sat down at the table, and Daniel served coffee.

“I never thought I’d have to stand between you and my mother,” she said, looking at the cup.

“And I never thought I’d ever understand her,” I replied. “She just wanted to help us, but she didn’t know how.”

He smiled, raised his cup, and gently tapped it against mine.

— For us. For having learned to say “no”.

I smiled and nodded. Outside, the sun was beginning to climb over the city, and the air smelled of new beginnings. I knew something had changed. Not suddenly, but forever.