Chapter 7 - The Confrontation
The gala continued around us,
the music and laughter a sharp contrast to the tension in our small circle.
“We were worried sick,”
my mother lied,
her eyes darting to the expensive watch on my wrist.
“You left a note and just vanished.”
“Do you have any idea what that did to Paige?”
“She was devastated!”
I felt a laugh bubble up in my throat,
cold and sharp.
“Paige was devastated because she lost her favorite safety net,”
I said.
“She didn't lose a sister,
she lost a servant.”
“That’s a horrible thing to say!”
my father hissed,
looking around to see if anyone was listening.
“We are your family.”
“Family doesn't cancel a daughter’s thirtieth birthday for a boyfriend’s argument,”
I countered.
“Family doesn't tell one child they have to be invisible so the other can shine.”
“We did the best we could,”
Mom whimpered,
reaching for her handkerchief.
“Paige has… issues.”
“She needs us more than you do.”
“And she still does,”
I said,
tilting my head.
“I saw her recent social media posts.”
“Still struggling,
still blaming everyone else,
still living on your dwindling savings.”
“How much did you pay for her last ‘art gallery’ venture?”
My mother flinched,
the truth hitting home.
“She just needs a break,
Claire,”
Dad said,
his voice losing its edge.
“You’ve clearly done so well for yourself.”
“Look at you.”
“You could help her.”
“You have so much,
and she has so little.”
I looked at the man who had texted me ‘You’ll understand’ ten years ago.
He hadn't changed.
He still saw me as a resource,
not a person.
“I will never give that woman a single penny,”
I said slowly.
“Nor will I give you any more of my time.”
“You didn't want me when I was struggling to build a life.”
“You don't get me now that the life is built.”
Julian stepped forward,
his presence a silent warning.
“I think we’re done here,”
he said firmly.
We began to walk away,
leaving them standing in the middle of a room they no longer belonged in.
But then,
May you like
the doors of the gala swung open.
And in walked Paige.
