“We honestly thought you were the one we didn’t have to worry about.”
Mark’s expression softened.
“I know.”
“You always landed on your feet.”
“I know.”
“We thought that was a good thing.”
“It is.”
Mark looked at both parents.
“But somewhere along the way, being the one you didn’t have to worry about turned into being the one you didn’t have to think about.”
Patricia looked away.
Then Mark finally said what he had probably needed to say since the anniversary.
“Leave your money wherever you want. All of it. None of it. That’s yours to decide.”
He glanced at his sisters before looking back at his parents.
“But you don’t get to write me out of what you give and write me into everything you need.”
Nobody answered.
Strangely, it was the first moment all evening that felt peaceful.
Final chapter
Things didn’t magically improve afterward.
