Page 33 of The Cost of Love

“Because she is our mother, and one day she will remember that.”

One of the things that makes my sister so lovable is her optimism. It is only matched by her big, giving heart. These are the two reasons she is so often let down in life. I only have enough space in my own for a few people, and they had to prove themselves beyond worthy to occupy it.

“Do you want to feel the baby kick?” she asks, moving the blanket down her stomach. I place my hand there and am overcome with awe as I feel its little foot. We fall into silence, both too focused on the movement to speak. When he stops kicking, I look up to see tears in her eyes.

“Don’t mind me, it’s the hormones,” she says while wiping them away.

The last time I saw her cry was when everything went down between us all. It makes me feel as helpless as I did in that moment.

“Let me help you,” I say, desperation weighing down my words.

“You have helped me. You paid for this house and the IVF. What more do you want to do?”

“I want to give you half my trust fund, or at least my inheritance from father. That way, you never have to worry about anything.”

She pushes away my words with the flick of her hand.

“We are fine, baby brother. I know our upbringing taught us that who we know and what we have is everything. I have learned that lesson in a different context now, one that does not involve an absurd amount of money.”

Before I can argue further, we hear the front door open.

“We are in the bedroom,” Liv yells out, telling Mei where to go.

She steps into the room, a smile ready on her lips. Walking over, she kisses my sister before quickly giving me a hug. Tucking her red hair behind her ear, she showcases her many piercings.

“Welcome home, wife. Was the market okay?” Olivia asks, sitting up a little more.

“I found my favorite Kimchi, and it was on sale, so all is good.” They look at each other, and in their eyes I see the love that made Olivia turn her back on everything.

If she had never met this intricate, charming woman, then she would likely have gone on to end up in a loveless marriage. Despite everything she went through, this is clearly better for her.

“I’m going to start cooking tteokbokki. Are you staying for dinner, Alex?” Mei asks.

“Yes.”

Satisfied with my answer, she turns and goes.

“You deserve to have everything,” I say, looking at my sister.

“If money were everything, then I would have married a man and gotten my trust fund. I wouldn’t have turned my back on everyone we know to be my true self.”

“That’s not what I mean. I get you have a lot, but you can also have more, despite what they said. It’s not right that because you love who you love, you don’t get to live the life you were promised.”

While my trust fund required me to complete a postgraduate degree in business, hers required that she marry a man of suitable standards. It’s like they knew when they made it who she truly was. And one way or another, they were going to force her to change.

She shakes her head, smiling like I am amusing her with my conversation.

“That’s what you don’t get, Alex. I don’t want that life. That life never seemed appealing to me. Just like it never seemed appealing to you. At some point, I was always going to leave that world behind, and I wait for the day that you do, too.” She grabs my hand into both of hers and holds it like it’s the most precious thing. “I saw you in France. You were happy. Truly happy. Now, everyone is telling you what you are supposed to do, and it’s going to make you miserable.”

I feel her words sink into my chest and start to dig up a truth buried so deep into my pits of denial. Even though I know this is not what I want, I don’t have the ability to admit to the life I dream about instead.

“I’ll be alright.”

She looks the saddest she has been since I showed up. “I hope that’s true,” she says, patting my hand.

Chapter 14

Chanice