Chapter 1

Three days later, I still received a call from a landline number I didn't recognize.

"Evan Clark! Why did you block your parents? What's wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?"

It was Edith Manuel, my mom Jane Clark's younger sister.

"Edith. What do you want?" My voice was calm.

"What do I want? You've got the nerve to ask that? Your mom is practically having a heart attack because of you! She couldn't reach you, so she called me!"

She kept yelling at me. "Unblock them. Call your mother back. Now."

"I have nothing to say to her," I saw through clenched jaws.

"You–" Edith uttered. Her voice turned sarcastic. "Is this all because your parents gave your cousin the money from selling the restaurant? There's a reason for that! Your uncle passed away early. Your cousin's been struggling along with his mom. Your parents are just helping them out a little. What's wrong with that?"

"Helping them out a little?" I snorted. "Edith, you call 600 grand helping out a little?"

There was silence.

"I've worked in Seahaven for seven years. I started as an intern. Now I'm a department manager. I make four grand a month," I said with force.

"For seven years, I worked my butt off on overtime. I drank with clients until my stomach bled. I even worked during holidays. I saved 115 grand. Every dollar is blood money."

"I know you've worked hard–"

"Last month, I looked at a 900-square-feet apartment in Mirnivia. It was priced at 880 grand. The down payment was 30 percent, which was roughly 260 grand. I was short 150 grand.

"I told my parents to sell the restaurant, lend me 150 grand, and keep the rest for retirement. I said I'd pay them back monthly. Do you know what they said?"

Edith didn't answer.

"My dad said a man should rely on himself, and that they're not obligated to buy me a house. My mom said Seahaven was too expensive. She asked me why I had to stay there and if I would consider moving home."

There was silence again.

"They turned around and gave Logan 600 grand."

I didn't even notice my voice was trembling. "He's 24. Trade school graduate. He makes 450 bucks a month and spends his days in internet cafes. My mom said they had to make his wedding look impressive so that the bride's family wouldn't look down on him."

"Well–"

"Edith, I'm not jealous of him. I just want to know if I'm really their son. I fight my way through life just to build a home, and they tell me to rely on myself. But Logan? They throw money at him."

"Evan, don't think that way. Your parents only did it for your uncle–"

"My uncle?" I cut her off. "My uncle's been dead for twenty years! Haven't they helped enough over the past twenty years? My parents paid for all his tuition and living expenses. Now that he's getting married, they're even throwing in their retirement savings just to seem generous in front of relatives!"

Edith sighed. "Your parents are old-fashioned. They feel responsible for their nephew."

"So they have no responsibility to their own son?" I shot back. "I'm 30. My girlfriend of five years just left me because of this. Tell me, Edith, what am I supposed to do now?"

"Ruby broke up with you?" she asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah. The day after my mom sent that photo of my cousin's new house." I laughed bitterly.

"She said she couldn't marry a man who means nothing to his own parents."

Edith fell completely silent.

"They want to be saints. They want to look good in front of relatives. Fine, they can do that.

"But when they need someone to look after them once they're older or arrange their funerals after they die, don't come knocking on my door. They can go to the precious nephew they just invested 600 grand in."

"Evan, don't say things like that–"

I hung up right away.

Finally, there was peace.

I switched on my laptop and started frantically searching for cheaper properties around Seahaven.

I didn't mind if it was in Jardino, Skyren, or Quentaris. I just needed to stay in this city.

I'd find a way to pay the 260-grand down payment.

I didn't need help from anyone else.