Chapter 2

Because of everything that happened, we didn't make it to Mom's for the holiday. She called me to ask why, and the moment she heard I was getting a divorce, she tore into me.

"Are you stupid? At your age? You think you're still young and good-looking? Whatever you did wrong, go apologize and fix it."

I could barely get the words out without choking up. "Renee cheated on me with some young guy."

Mom went quiet for a second, but it didn't last. "How useless do you have to be for your own wife to cheat on you?"

I hung up. It was nothing but insults with her, and it always had been. She'd divorced my father for the same thing, yet she couldn't spare me an ounce of sympathy.

I knew why. It was because she favored my younger sister, Megan Gallagher. Renee was a powerful woman in business and could hand Megan a cushy position whenever she pleased.

My whole life, I'd bent over backward trying to make everyone happy. But this time, Mom was just going to have to be disappointed.

She called Renee next. I don't know what they talked about, but when Renee called me back, the disgust in her voice was barely concealed. "You'd better keep your mother in line. If she comes stirring up trouble, don't expect me to play nice."

Then she added something quieter, almost under her breath, but I still caught it. "I'm so sick of nepotism hires."

My blood ran cold. When I'd first made up my mind to cut ties with my family, it was precisely because I didn't want them leeching off me. I didn't want Renee to look down on me for it.

But Renee had cupped my face in her hands and told me, over and over, "If it gives you peace, let them take what they need. I'm doing this because I want to."

So even though I'd tried my hardest to keep my family at arm's length and had been ready to cut them off for good, she'd gone behind my back and brought them into the company anyway.

I was furious. She just winked at me, playful as ever. "One little favor buys you peace and quiet. It's totally worth it. Don't be mad.

"What kind of person doesn't want anything to do with his own birth family? I don't want you looking back with regret someday."

So whenever Megan screwed up, Renee covered for her, and in return, I got to stand tall at family gatherings. During those years, I got a taste of what it felt like to have a mother who actually loved me and a family that felt like one, even if none of it was real.

I was happy, despite knowing that they'd only come around because of what they could get. But now, Megan was the nepotism hire. And Renee wasn't wrong.

The thing was, I'd never wanted any of it.

That generous heart of hers hadn't changed at all. She still gave the same way she always had. Only now, it was toward someone else. I learned from Mom that Renee had brought Thomas' entire family into the company.

His father, who could barely hold down a job, had been handed a management title. Their combined salary was double what Megan earned.

The pain in my chest came in waves, and I couldn't help but laugh at myself. The problem was never the nepotism. The problem was me.

Every ounce of strength drained from my body. I lay on the floor staring at nothing, wondering how someone I loved that much could just become a stranger.

After the crying was done and the exhaustion set in, I dusted off my résumé and started looking for work, even if it meant starting from the very bottom. Pretty words only worked while you still bought into them.

Renee and Piper came home. She spotted my résumé and looked mildly surprised. "Nobody's forcing you to work. You don't have to."

Piper always took her mother's side, and this time was no different. "Yeah, Dad. What else can you even do besides sit around the house? Just listen to Mom."

Nobody remembered that it was Renee who talked me into being a stay-at-home husband. Nobody knew I'd given it all up so she could chase her dreams. Nobody saw any of what I'd done.

I stared at the two of them, frozen, and something inside me finally snapped. "Enough. What I do with my life is none of your concern."