Chapter 4 - The Golden Cage
The dinner took place at the most exclusive steakhouse in the city. I wasn't invited. I sat in my dark apartment, staring at the wall, feeling like an absolute failure.
When the girls came home, the energy in the house was fractured.
Harper was furious. "He's a narcissist! He spent two hours talking about his golf resorts and how he 'had to find himself' in Europe. He didn't even ask about our mother!"
But Chloe was holding a glossy brochure for a luxury high-rise in Baltimore, near the medical school. "He's trying, Harper. He said he was just in a dark place when Mom died. Can’t we at least let him help us with our careers? We owe it to ourselves to not struggle forever."
"We didn't struggle!" Stella snapped. "Dad gave us everything!"
"Dad gave up his life for us!" Chloe yelled back. "Look at him! He has a bad knee, he works sixty hours a week, and he has no retirement savings! If Liam pays for my med school and buys us a house, Dad can finally retire!"
The words hit me like a physical blow. Chloe wasn't being greedy. She was trying to save me. She was willing to sell her soul to a ghost so I could finally rest.
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I stepped out of the shadows. "I don't need saving, Chloe. I need my daughters."
Chloe burst into tears and ran into her bedroom. The family I had held together with duct tape and love was beginning to crack under the weight of Liam's gold.
