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“I think Mark has it all figured out,” I answered. “He’s the one who took off and disappeared. He’s probably living it up in Fiji as we speak.”
“Your brother has rejected his inheritance and his family.”
“And his family would be happy for him to suffer homelessness on the streets before they help him out, I’m sure?”
“That is not who we are, and you know it,” she snapped.
“Then where is Mark?”
“I have no idea, and I don’t care to know. He probably ran off with another woman. It must be the reason behind his sudden disdain for Pollyanna and daring to embarrass and insult our family.”
“You’re sure of that?” I questioned, wanting to know what she thought or whether she cared to know where her other son had gone.
“There’s no other explanation for his actions,” she sneered.
“Sure, there is,” I answered her. “Perhaps, unlike you, Dad, and Seb, he wanted a life of his own. He was determined to find happiness and not allow his parents to find it for him.” I sighed. “Mom, do you know that since we were little boys, you decided who our friends would be and what houses we could sleep over at? You played some strange game of Mother of the Year with your boys, and though Seb loved all that fucking attention, as most older children do because of the responsibilities their parents place on them, Mark and I didn’t need you to defend us. We didn’t need you to approve of our high school girlfriends and warn us if any of them would be using us for money or whatever the hell you thought you were protecting us from. It’s sad,” I said, shaking my head at her frown.
“If you’re so miserable in this family, then leave,” she snapped. “I will not sit here and be insulted by you. You throw these tantrums because you’re not getting your way after everything your father and I have provided for you. If we never speak again, then so be it.”
“Right. So now, after all this, you want to relinquish control over me? Not likely,” I said, returning my attention to the ocean.
“John, you hardly knew that girl,” she said, not letting shit go. “And you’re filled with self-pity, wallowing like you can’t live without her. Now, you suddenly hate your family and are spewing your hatred everywhere. You always knew the job was temporary, and you never argued about that with us. But this girl seems to have brought out a side of you that I don’t recognize. I have no idea who my own son is anymore.”
“You keep acting like the amount of time I spent with Mickie is insignificant, but regardless of your opinion, I fell deeply in love with her,” I looked over at where my mother stood, prepared to leave. “It surprised me most of all, but it was very real. I didn’t understand the extent of it until I was forced to lose her.” I stood up, “And yes, all my resentment stems from losing Mickie because of this. It’s not just about losing my job, house, or independence. I wanted a life with her. I hadn’t ever been that happy to be with someone, to hear her laugh, see her smile, or watch her shake her head at my nonsense. It was the beginning of something extraordinary, and you and Dad stole it as soon as you saw us together.”
“Very true,” she said coldly. “We thought we’d stop something that we obviously could not.”
“And that was?” I said with anger.
“Our son being taken away by a woman who will never appreciate his worth.”
“You have a sculpture that hangs in the hallway of this beach house, and you used to tell us stories about it.”
“The Bronzed Mermaid,” she said.
“The story you told us was about the sailor who believed he loved the mermaid, and she brought him into her world, and it drowned and killed him?”
“Yes. The perfect metaphor for you to take to heart. That woman will take you into her world, and it will kill you, your spirit, and the man you were raised to be.”
“I don’t see it that way,” I said with determination. “Any woman you would choose for me would be my killer mermaid, and I would never be the person I am meant to be. Mickie was saving me, but you are the one who wants to kill my spirit and the man I’ve become—the doctor—and turn me into some desk-sitting, greedy, cigar-smoking asshole. That’s not who I am. Mickie knows that, and I know that. The sad part is that my parents don’t know that, nor do they care.”
“We know what’s best for you,” she answered nervously.
“No, you know what’s best for you. I know what’s best for me, and a life obsessed with status and wealth is not that.” I couldn’t take another second of this life, so I made up my mind to burn it all down if it came to that. “I’m leaving, and if you so much as think about making good on your threats to ruin Mikayla or bring harm to anyone she loves in any way, I will call the first news outlet I can find and tell them every secret the Aster family has.”
I watched the blood drain from her face, and that’s when I realized I had the power to leave all along. They were counting on me loving my family legacy more than I loved Mickie, and that was their mistake. Of all their threats, the ones placed on Mickie were the ones that kept me away. I just couldn’t believe it’d taken me so long to recognize that the ruination of the family name was the key. It was the one thing they’d never allow to be tarnished, and that was what put me in control, because I didn’t give a fuck about it.
“You wouldn’t dare,” her voice was steady, but I saw the fear in her eyes.
“Oh, I most definitely would,” I said. “I think you know that, too.”
“Your father will never forgive you if you leave,” she threatened.
“Then, after I find Mark, he and I can have a good laugh that our father chose greed over his own blood. I don’t fucking care.”
With that, I turned and marched off the beach, leaving my mother there to wonder if I was going to act on this and leave my family behind.
I felt sorry for them. They had everything a human being could ever ask for except for happiness. But I’d found happiness outside of this family, and I was going to bust my ass—and risk Mickie kneeing me in my balls—to get it back.
