My heart sank at Danielle's words. I hadn't done a single thing, yet here I was, being ordered to apologize.
I sneered, "Apologize? For what? What exactly did I do wrong?"
Danielle flew into a rage. "You know damn well what you did! Making Vince upset is like slapping the face of this entire family! I don't care. Apologize now. Or else don't blame me for what happens next!"
Mom's voice filtered in from the background. "Dani, don't talk to Leon like that. He's your husband."
Then, she spoke into the phone. "Leon, don't take Dani's words to heart. And look, we just came out for a quick dinner. Don't read too much into it."
Hearing her voice only made the bitterness in my chest deepen.
"You don't need to explain," I said coldly. "After all, you guys are the real family here."
That completely set Mom off. She yelled into the receiver, "Leon! How can you say something like that? Just because we didn't bring you out for one dinner? Are you really making this big of a deal out of it? If you want to eat that badly, I'll send you 30 dollars. Knock yourself out!"
A second later, Venmo notified me of a 30-dollar deposit.
"There. The money's sent. Now drop it."
With that, Mom hung up.
I laughed out loud. If this was what family and love looked like, I was better off without them.
I called my friend Nathan Morris. "Can I still join that project you mentioned before?"
Nathan replied instantly, "Of course you can! Leon, you're finally joining my team! When can you get here? I'll book your flight right now."
Without hesitation, I replied, "Tomorrow. The sooner, the better."
When I hung up, a strange sense of peace washed over me.
Nathan had invited me to join his team multiple times, but I had always declined because it was too far from home. My only dream back then was to stay close to my family.
But now, I was done.
…
It was late into the night when the four of them returned.
They reeked of alcohol. The heavy scent filled the air the moment they walked in.
By then, I was already packing my things.
When Mom and Dad saw what I was doing, their expressions changed instantly. Mom rushed over, snatched the clothes from my hands, and threw them on the floor.
"Leon Booth, what do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "Trying to run away from home? Didn't I already send you the money? Why are you still making a scene?"
I quietly picked up my clothes and stared dead into her eyes. "Making a scene? Who's the one making a scene here? I saw the family group chat. Did any of you ever actually consider me part of this family?"
Mom's face went completely pale. "Leon, I can explain—"
I cut her off with a cold laugh. "Save it. I don't care for this home anymore anyway."
Dad finally spoke up from the side, but his words were dripping with blame. "It's just a group chat. What does that even prove? Leon, you're being way too petty."
I was petty?
Fine. Whatever. No matter what happened, they would always spin it to make me the villain.
I stopped responding and went back to packing.
Danielle stepped in to block me. "Leon, is this because you saw my text?"
Suddenly, Vincent burst into tears. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn't come into this home, I wouldn't have caused such a mess for everyone."
As he said that, he stepped forward and grabbed my arm. "Leon, please don't be mad at me. If anyone should leave, it's me. You belong in this family."
I yanked my arm away. "Stop acting! I'm not falling for it!"
I hadn't used much force, but Vincent stumbled backward and went crashing toward the sharp edge of the table.
Danielle caught him just in time. Shielding Vincent behind her, she shoved me hard.
Caught entirely off guard, I crashed heavily onto the floor. A sickening thud echoed from my knee, and the sharp pain brought tears to my eyes.
Yet there wasn't a trace of remorse on her face. Instead, she looked smug. "That's what you get for laying your hands on Vince! Consider it a lesson. Let's see if you ever dare to do it again!"
A flicker of concern crossed Mom's face. She started to step toward me to help me up, but Vincent's quiet sobbing immediately drew her attention away.
"Mom, Dad, maybe I really should just leave," he said. "All I do is make everyone miserable."
Mom completely forgot about me and wrapped her arms tightly around Vincent instead.
