"Gabriel, there is something fundamentally wrong with your mindset. You're becoming increasingly selfish."
I met her accusation head-on. "Mom, did you even investigate their current living situation? Compared to them, we're the ones who qualify as a 'poor household.'"
She scoffed. Waved her hand like I was speaking gibberish. She and Dad had *seen* the young couple's hardships with their own eyes. Why else would they have decided to sponsor them in the first place?
A bitter taste coated my tongue. I didn't have the energy to explain.
"Fine. Keep thinking that way." My voice went flat. "Seems like the truth doesn't matter to you anymore."
She took it as a tantrum. Just Gabriel saying hurtful things to get a rise out of her.
The living room hit me with a wall of tension the moment I stepped back in. Dad sat on the sofa, expression thunderous.
"What did that ungrateful wretch say?" he demanded. "He isn't willing to apologize, is he?"
Uncle Mason stepped between us, palms raised. "You two need to calm down. Houses aren't cheap. Can't the family discuss this rationally first?"
"I am his father!" Dad's roar rattled the windows. "Are you saying I can't even make this kind of decision?"
Mom walked in and repeated my words verbatim—adding extra emphasis to the young couple's *pitiful circumstances*.
Uncle Mason's brow furrowed. "I remember you first sponsored them eight or nine years ago. How long has it been since you actually visited their home?"
Dad slammed his phone down on the coffee table. "Over eight years. You think they struck it rich in that time? When your sister-in-law and I went back then, they were living in a dilapidated single-story shack. Alex's family of five was squeezed into a space barely over two hundred square feet. Maya's situation was marginally better, but not by much."
These were the images burned into their minds.
From nearly a decade ago.
"Exactly," Mom chimed in. "They looked absolutely destitute. If you ask me, we raised an ingrate. If Gabriel won't cooperate, we'll just scrape together the money ourselves and give Alex his share."
The problem was, my parents had long since drained their savings. They had only managed to borrow two hundred thousand from my uncle and a few other relatives.
Mom called me later that week, asking me out to dinner to hand over the money. Aria was with me at the time. When I told her about it, she insisted on coming along. Figured if things went south, she could help smooth things over.
My parents were already waiting in the private room when we arrived. Most of the cold appetizers had been served.
The moment Mom spotted Aria, her demeanor flipped like a switch. Excessive warmth poured out of her. "Aria! We haven't seen you in ages. Are your parents in good health?"
Aria linked arms with her, sat down, engaged in polite small talk. They shifted from household topics to recent gossip. On the surface, it looked harmonious—a happy family dinner.
Under the table, my hands were clenched so tight my knuckles ached. Dad and I sat in stiff, stony silence.
When the hot dishes arrived, Mom started piling food onto Aria's plate. Halfway through the meal, she dropped the bomb.
"Aria, I heard you and Gabriel are planning to get married soon? Is that true?"
"Yes, Mrs. Fox. We're hoping to have the ceremony this year."
Mom glanced at Dad. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. She probably hadn't expected us to move this fast.
"Regarding the marital home... Gabriel told you the situation, right?"
Aria nodded. Mom kept her smile plastered on.
"Look, could you two use our place as the marital home for now? If you're not used to living there after the wedding, we can always move out."
My chair scraped loudly against the floor as I stood. I was done.
Aria grabbed my arm, pulled me back down. Her eyes pleaded with me to stay calm. Then she turned to my mother.
"Mrs. Fox, honestly, I don't mind where we live. The main issue is that it's hard to explain to my parents."
"What's hard to explain?" Mom waved her hand dismissively. "It's just a house. Isn't living anywhere the same?"
Dad's indifferent tone sparked something volatile in my chest. Anger. Absurdity. Both swirling together.
"Have you ever cared about our feelings?"
"Have you ever cared about mine or your mother's?" His face darkened.
That sentence snapped the last thread of my patience.
I stood. My voice came out steady. Cold.
"When I was three, you dumped me on Grandpa and Grandma so you wouldn't have to deal with me. Back then, I didn't understand. I thought you were just busy." A bitter laugh escaped me. "It wasn't until I got older that I realized you simply wanted your 'space.'"
"Fine. I can accept that. Grandpa and Grandma treated me well."
I leaned forward, bracing my hands on the table. "When I was ten, do you remember what I wanted for my birthday?"
Silence.
A harsh laugh tore from my throat. "I just wanted you to take one day off to go to the amusement park with me. That wish has never been fulfilled. What's truly ridiculous is that I heard you took those two sponsored students there the very next week."
"At fifteen, you finally took me back in. But you criticized everything I did. Too loud. Too quiet. Too messy. Too *distinct*. You tried to mold me into someone else." I pinned them both with my stare. "Tell me—on what grounds? You were absent for my entire childhood. What gives you the right to judge how I turned out?"
The blood drained from Mom's face. Her mouth opened. No words came.
Under the table, Aria tugged at my sleeve. Signaling me to apologize.
I shook my head.
"This card has two hundred thousand," Mom stammered, pulling a bank card from her purse. "Your dad and I borrowed it over the last two days. Take it. We'll pay you back the rest later."
She tried to shove the card into my hand.
I stepped back.
"I don't want the money anymore." My voice was formal. Final. "From today on, my life has nothing to do with you."
