I accidentally told my CEO’s six-year-old son the truth about Santa.Minutes later, my CEO called me into his private study, slid an envelope across his desk, and warned me that opening it meant choosing something I couldn’t undo. Every December, like clockwork, my company threw a massive holiday party at Mike’s house. Mike was our CEO. The kind of guy whose Christmas tree probably cost more than my car. The kind of guy whose house looked like it belonged in a luxury magazine, not on a street with regular people.

I’ve been raising my son, Liam, completely on my own since the day he was born. I’m 34 now, and from the very first moment I held him in my arms, I knew my life would revolve around him. I had him young. My parents didn’t accept my pregnancy, and his father, Ryan, disappeared the moment he realized I wasn’t going to terminate. He vanished. No calls. No messages. No help. Nothing. So it was just me and Liam, learning life together day by day, step by step. I loved

Every Christmas, I used to hand each of my grandchildren an envelope with $10,000 inside. I did it year after year, believing it was my way of showing love. But when I realized they were coming only for the money, I decided to play a quiet little game. I changed the envelopes—and in doing so, I discovered who truly loved me. I was 87 years old when I learned a lesson that changed the way I looked at my family forever. I have always believed in independence. I worked hard