Chapter 3

"Silly child, how could we ever let you leave? We're all you have now," Mom said.

Then she turned to face me, her eyes heavy with disappointment. "Leon, you went way too far this time! I am really disappointed in you."

Disappointed?

A bitter, hollow smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

She wanted me to yield to Vincent on everything, and I did. She wanted me to be mature and understanding, and I did that too. So what exactly was she disappointed in?

Was it because I didn't let Vincent walk all over me and finally spoke up? Or was it because I refused to keep playing dumb after realizing they never saw me as family?

But Mom, as a human being, I had dignity too.

Dad stepped in to play the peacemaker. "Leon, your mom is truly furious this time. Just apologize to Vince, and we can all move past this."

Another apology!

From beginning to end, I was always the one who had to say sorry.

But not this time.

I raised my head defiantly and looked them straight in the eye, enunciating each word. "I am not apologizing."

To my surprise, Danielle kicked me square in the chest. "Let's see what breaks first—your stubborn pride or my foot!"

The metallic taste of blood instantly pooled in my mouth, and I coughed it up onto the floor.

But Danielle didn't care. She kept shouting insults. "Leon Booth, stop playing the victim! I'm telling you right now, if you don't apologize to Vince, I will beat an apology out of you!"

She raised her foot again.

Dad held her back. "Dani, stop. He's your husband!"

Danielle snapped back instantly. "That's exactly why he needs to be taught a lesson! He's so incredibly petty. It's embarrassing. I'm going to make sure he never forgets this."

Mom spoke up then. "Leon, don't blame us for taking Vince's side. Look at yourself now. What happened to the sensible man you used to be?"

With that, she took Vincent by the hand and led him into his room.

In my peripheral vision, I caught Vincent looking back at me, his face smug with triumph.

It was as if he were gloating, "See? You'll always lose to me. Everything you have—including your family—belongs to me now!"

Emboldened by Mom's words, Danielle turned back to me like a predator closing in on its prey.

Seeing that Mom had already checked out, Dad stopped trying to intervene and retreated to his bedroom.

Danielle cracked her knuckles. "Leon, I suggest you swallow your pride and apologize to Vince. Otherwise, I can't guarantee how hard these slaps are going to land. Don't end up taking a beating just to apologize in the end anyway."

It was the first time I had ever seen this side of her. She felt like a complete stranger.

While she was never particularly warm to me, she had never been malicious. But right now, she looked at me like I was some heinous criminal, as if she wanted to tear me apart piece by piece. Our marital issues had never been this deep.

Vincent's manipulation was masterful. First Mom, then Dad, and now Danielle. One by one, they were all willing to hurt me for his sake.

I let out a ragged laugh. "Even if you kill me today, I will never apologize."

Danielle's palms struck my face again and again. I didn't make a sound. Compared to the agonizing ache in my chest, the physical pain was nothing.

Finally, Dad came back out to stop her. "That's enough. We don't need a corpse on our hands."

Losing interest, Danielle finally stopped.

The entire house fell into a deafening silence. I lay there on the freezing floor, replaying the history of my life in my head.

After what felt like hours, the quiet murmurs of my parents drifted out from their bedroom.

"Do you think we went a bit too far tonight?"

"No. Leon brought this on himself. He needed to be taught a lesson. Worse comes to worst, I'll just cook his favorite meal tomorrow to make it up to him. You know how he is. He cares about family more than anything."

I smiled bitterly. So that was it. Because they knew I valued family, they thought they could trample all over my dignity.

Just then, my phone buzzed.

It was a text from Nathan with my flight details. It was an early morning departure.

Fighting through the throbbing pain, I forced myself up, grabbed my driver's license, and walked straight out the front door.

The moment the lock clicked shut behind me, an overwhelming wave of liberation washed over me.

I was going to file for divorce. I wanted nothing more to do with this family.