“Clarissa!” Blair snaps, her voice ringing out like a whip. “I told you to stay out of my brother’s business. Why don’t you ever fucking listen?”
Clarissa shrinks back, but she doesn’t back down completely. “I’m not going to let Lainey ruin Zach’s life.”
Blair’s eyes blaze. “Lainey isn’t ruining Zach’s life. You are!”
“Enough!” Dad bellows, his voice echoing through the room. “Blair, stop it this instant!”
Blair turns on him, her voice trembling with fury. “Dad, you’ve always had a soft spot for Clarissa. You don’t see past her schemes!”
Dad’s face darkens. “Are you calling me blind? How dare you!”
I slam my hand on the table. “Enough!” I shout, my voice shaking with emotion. “Dad, Lainey is not lying. She’s pregnant.”
The room falls silent, the weight of my words settling over everyone.
Dad looks at me, his expression hard. “Are you so blind that you can’t see what’s true and not? Don’t throw away your life for a… girl.”
I shake my head, my frustration boiling over. “I’m not throwing away my life, Dad! Will you just listen to me for once? I’m sick and tired of this shit. Ever since Mom died—”
I pause, the lump in my throat threatening to choke me. “Ever since Mom died, you’ve been so controlling over my life. I’m not a toy, Dad. I have feelings.”
Dad looks shocked, his mouth opening and closing as if he’s trying to find the right words.
“No,” I continue, my voice trembling. “Let me finish. Mom died a long time ago. I saw what that did to you. You were hurt for so long. And then you put all your focus on the family business and on us. You don’t see what that did? Noah, Whitney, and Cora are all divorced because of the pressure you put on them. Blair and I? We’ve been too scared to even try. We’re all hurting too, Dad.”
The room is deathly silent, everyone too stunned to speak.
Finally, Dad takes a deep breath, his voice softer than I’ve ever heard it. “Zach, all I want is for my children to be happy with someone who can support them. An equal.”
I meet his gaze, my voice firm. “Lainey is that person for me.”
Clarissa stands straighter, as though she hasn’t just thrown the room into chaos. “Zach, please listen to your father,” she pleads, her voice softening as if it could erase everything that’s happened.
“No, you listen, Clarissa,” I snap, stepping forward. My anger is steady now, cold and controlled. “My family falling apart is your doing. I don’t ever want to see you again.”
Her mouth falls open in shock.
“Zach!” Dad interjects, his tone sharp. “How can you say that about Clarissa? All she’s ever done for you is support you. She even went through all that hardship of schooling just to become a great doctor to support you, even though I didn’t want you to continue with hockey.”
“No, Dad!” I say, turning to face him. “Clarissa did that for you. For this family. To prove to you she could be the person you think we all need to be. She didn’t do it for me.”
“Zach,” Clarissa whispers, tears brimming in her eyes. “How could you say that? I love you.”
“You don’t love me, Clarissa,” I say, my voice softening just enough to show her I mean it. “You love the idea of loving me. You love the version of me you’ve built up in your head. Why can’t you see that? This obsession—it’s not healthy. Please, learn to love yourself instead.”
Dad glares at me, his expression thunderous. “Zach, if you think I’ll let you marry Lainey just because you knocked her up, you’re wrong.”
“I don’t need your permission, Dad,” I snap, my voice rising again. “I don’t need the family business. I don’t need this. I never did. Hockey is everything to me, and I’ve built myself upwithout the Darling name. I’ll be fine without all of this.”
Dad’s face flushes red with anger. “How dare you curse the Darling name!”
Before I can respond, Noah’s voice cuts through the tension like a knife.
“Dad! Zach! That’s enough!” Noah stands, his broad frame commanding attention. “Mom wouldn’t have wanted this for us. Can’t you just be happy for Zach and Lainey? Zach has his life together. He did it on his own, without the family name, and he’s happy. Isn’t that what matters?”
Dad’s jaw tightens, and I can see the battle raging in his mind. Finally, he spits out, “You walk out that door, Zach, and that’s it!”
“That’s fine by me,” I say, my voice steady as I meet his eyes.
