Mom swept in with Josh trailing behind her, his backpack slung over one shoulder. She carried a manila envelope in her hand, neat and sharp like everything about her.
She called me into the living room, her voice clipped and businesslike, like I wasn't her son but an item to be checked off her list.
"Ash," she said flatly, not even a hello. "Go pack your things. You're coming with me."
I blinked at her. "What?"
It reminded me of the way she'd sat me down months ago, announcing that I would study business in college because it was "practical." As if my wanting to study art and literature had been some childish phase she could brush away with a single word.
No explanation. No question. Just… an order.
"You heard me," she said, setting the papers down on the table. "This marriage is over. I won't let your father drag you down with him. You need stability, a future. And you'll get that with me."
The words landed like cold metal against my chest. I looked at Dad's slumped figure, then back at her. "No. I'm not leaving."
Her lips tightened. "Don't be ridiculous. He's ruined everything. Do you want to waste away in this house? You think your poems and sketches will save you?" She laughed bitterly. "You'll end up just like him."
Something hot snapped in me. "At least he tried, Mom! He worked himself to the bone for us. You think walking away makes you better? It makes you a coward."
Her eyes flashed, sharp as broken glass. "Careful how you speak to me, Ash."
Grandma stepped in then, her voice calm but firm. "Claire, maybe this isn't the place…"
"Stay out of this, Eleanor," Mom snapped, not even looking at her. "You've spoiled him enough already."
The sound of her name, sharp and cruel, sliced through me. I felt my chest ignite. "Don't you dare talk to her like that!" I shouted, louder than I meant to. My voice shook the room.
For a second, the air went still.
Mom stared at me, stunned, then her face twisted into something between anger and grief. "You really are his son," she hissed. "Stubborn. Foolish. Destined to fail, just like him."
Her words gutted me, but I stood my ground, fists clenched. "If that's true, then I'd rather fail with him than succeed with you."
Mom went into dad's room, with that same envelope in her hand. Probably to discuss their divorce terms.
⟡ ✧ ⟡
Josh stood frozen, eyes wide, as if he couldn't process what he just heard.
He ran up to me, grabbed my arm and shook it, maybe thinking it might bring me back to my senses.
"You're… staying?" His voice wobbled, disbelief and frustration tangled together.
"Yes," I said, firm but careful. "Dad can't support both of us. You should go with Mom. It's better this way."
He blinked, his face twisting in shock. "Better? You're saying… you're leaving me? You're leaving me for him?"
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. "No, Josh. I'm not leaving you. I'm making sure you have a future. You're brilliant. You'll do so much with Mom. I can handle Dad. I'll stay."
He shook his head violently, tears brimming. "No! That's not how it works, Ash! We stick together, like always. I can't just leave you behind with… with everything!"
I felt the familiar tightness in my chest, the ache of responsibility and fear. "Josh, listen. You're better off with her. I can manage here. I'll figure it out. You don't need to worry about me."
He stared at me, disbelief and hurt warping his features. "You're just… you're just thinking about yourself. You're saying I'm not worth it? That I don't matter?"
"Josh…" I started, but the words caught in my throat. How could I explain that this wasn't about abandoning him, but about keeping him safe, giving him a chance?
"I'm not a burden!" he shouted, stepping closer, trembling. "I'm your brother! We're supposed to face everything together!"
I shook my head slowly. "I know, I know. But right now, if you stay with me, you'll suffer too. Dad can't provide. I can't risk you losing everything. Go. Please."
He threw his hands up in fury, voice cracking. "So I'm just a burden to you? Fine! Stay with your loser dad! Don't expect me to forgive you!"
Before I could say anything, he turned and stormed out, tears streaking down his face, slamming the door so hard the walls rattled.
I sank against the hallway wall, heart pounding, chest tight, staring at the empty space where he had been. I had chosen what I thought was best, but it had cost me more than I imagined. Sacrifice had never felt so cruel.
My mind raced: Was this really protecting him? Or just punishing both of us?
The house falls into an eerie quiet.
Grandma's soft sobs drift from the other room, muffled but enough to make my chest tighten. Dad sits slumped in his chair, staring at the floor, lost in his own despair. And now… Josh is gone too.
I hold myself together as long as I can. I straighten my back, force my breathing to stay steady, but the second the front door clicks shut behind them, the dam breaks.
I collapse to my knees in the hallway, chest heaving, tears burning my eyes.
Everything I've tried to hold onto: the love, the family, the hope. It all slips through my fingers at once.
My hands clench into fists against the floor. Sobs tear through me, raw and unrelenting.
Then, it hit me. First Lena. Now Josh. Everything I touch falls apart. Everything I love… I can't keep it safe.
I stay there, shaking, crying, feeling the weight of the world press down. The house is quiet, but inside me, chaos reigns.
I don't know how long I stayed like that. All I know is that nothing feels right anymore.