I didn’t say a word to my mother at first. My hands tightened around the folder of damning documents. My knuckles were turning whitening, my jaw locked shut.
She must’ve noticed the stillness in my eyes because she sneered and snapped, “Snap out of it, Nickolas. Whatever delusion has you frozen like a statue, let it go. Claiming back what belongs to us should be the only thing in that head of yours!”
Her voice echoed off the marble walls like a whip cracking. Still, I didn’t respond. I turned to leave.
“Wait.” Her voice cut through the air again, sharp and cold. “I will find you a perfect match. Someone who will actually benefit this family.”
I stopped in my tracks, took a breath, and turned my head over my shoulder, my voice like steel as I replied, “It’s my life, Mother. And any deci
