My father keeps asking me to choose him over my mother

Dear Delyara, My parents divorced when I was thirty-eight, and somehow I have become the child they still use to injure each other. Father calls to tell me Mother ruined his life. Mother forwards messages proving he lied. If I visit one, the other asks how long I stayed and what was discussed. Last week, Father said he would change his will if I continued “taking her side.” I told him there were no sides. He replied that only cowards say that. I have begun letting both calls go to voicemail, but then guilt arrives through my siblings, who say Father is lonely and Mother cries after speaking to me. They were married for forty-four years. I was not present for every wound, betrayal, or silence. Still, each of them wants me to deliver a verdict that will make the past simpler. Yesterday, Father asked directly, “If you had to choose which of us was a better parent, who would it be?” I ended the call. He sent a message saying my silence was an answer. I am forty-one, married, and raising two children. One question from my father can still make me feel as though my home, love, and belonging depend on saying the correct parent’s name.