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"I'm sure she's realized that it's not as bad as she thought," I chirp.
"Oh, she's drawn great strength from having you here," Father says insightfully.
"He could be right," Mother interrupts. She looked exhausted and scared when we first arrived.
"I think we are all drawing strength from one another," I breathe.
Father smiles fondly at me.
"I know you hate that Amelia and I are now legally divorced. I understand the bond you two had, but you have to understand that it’s no longer working. I feel like this deal with marriage is all simply because I chose my happiness over remaining in a sham of a marriage where I and my partner no longer felt happy."
Father blinks at my words, I blink back at him. I didn’t expect to spill this much.
"Declan," he begins when it appears that he has properly processed my words. "I am not asking that you remarry simply to have some little stupid revenge or teach you some strange lesson. You simply must do so because it is the responsible thing to do. You will be overseeing hundreds of properties across different parts of the country, allocating salaries to hundreds of staff, and managing shareholders and investors. There's a secret behind managing your home that transcends running a business."
"What are you saying?" I ask, eyes narrowing.
"Having a stable family is a true test of being able to manage something bigger, like a million-dollar estate business. Your grandfather firmly believed in the theory, and so do I. And wouldn't it also be nice to give Eli a well-balanced family? Just because it didn't work with Amelia does not mean it won't work with someone else."
I am not sure I am deserving of love.
But I don't say that.
"So, if I find someone to love, a woman I will eventually start a family with, you'll make me Managing Director?"
Father nods with a smile.
"I'm glad you get the point now."
Mother joins in and cuts our conversation short. As she discusses with Father and watches him eat because he will be damned if he lets her feed him, I think about the conversation I’ve just had with him.
Since I retired from the Navy three years ago, I started wanting to be Managing Director. Father has been in this position, which has earned him a top spot on the business rankings in Chelmsford, as well as in the greater Boston area.
I had thought, as I continued to work side by side with Father, that he would naturally, when he was ready, make me one. I never thought there would be clauses and conditions attached.
After Amelia and I signed the divorce papers, I decided that I wasn't going to try marriage with anyone else again. I can't believe that vow is taunting me, all thanks to my father's condition of making me Managing Director.
I could forget about being Managing Director and focus on Raising Eli as I had envisioned, but the thought of giving up the position i have for years yearned for fills me with overwhelming sadness.
Chapter Two
Felicity
Eveningheadachesaretheworst, but certainly, stress symptoms are the ones I am used to.
I press my hands against my throbbing forehead and contemplate taking another tablet of Advil. It will be the second of the day, on a stomach that's had only coffee, no doubt.
August has always been a very busy month for estate agents like me, I am not exactly complaining because it means a greater salary, for someone like me who is looking after three siblings, I more than welcome it.
At twenty-six, I can’t even boast of being halfway down the road I’ve mapped out for myself, hence the determination to double the effort and exhaust all possibilities.
When my cell phone vibrates on the desk, I pick it up without a second thought, an automatic smile gracing my lips when I see the caller ID. I swipe to answer, grinning when the young faces of my sisters come into view.
"Hi, Felicity." They all chorus.
"Hello, my darlings!" I grin.
"You didn't call yesterday as you promised."
