“If you’re so smart, then pay your own bills.” My mom’s words cut through the apartment like shattered glass. I was still wearing my grease-stained uniform from a double shift, my feet aching, when she shoved a stack of envelopes into my chest. Red stamps screamed PAST DUE across every one of them. “I gave you my whole paycheck last Friday,” I said quietly, staring at the notices. “Then cover the rest,” she snapped, stepping closer. “If you’re so educated, so independent—prove it. Pay your own b