Chapter 4
Alex squeezed my hand. "Don't worry. I've got your back. My place has two bedrooms. Just move in with me for now, and we'll figure things out together."
"Okay," I said, nodding.
We didn't waste any time. We called a moving company that very night.
Early the next morning, while my mom was still "recovering" at the hospital, I quickly packed up all my stuff.
As I dragged my last suitcase out of the house I'd lived in for over twenty years, I didn't feel even a hint of nostalgia.
The move into Alex's apartment went smoothly.
Even though it was just a rental, he'd kept it spotless and full of life, making it feel truly lived-in.
As I watched him bustle around, handling everything for me, my heart felt warm.
But the peace didn't last long.
My phone was blowing up 24/7 with calls from my mom and the other relatives. Every single one of them criticized me for being rebellious and disrespectful.
My mom was ranting and crying in the family group chat, accusing me of cutting ties with the family for some broke guy and wrecking the golden opportunity for our whole family to hit it big.
I left the family group chat and blocked all their numbers one by one.
Finally, I had some peace and quiet.
But soon, Aunt Eliza got through to me with a new number.
The second I picked up, she went off on me.
She yelled, "Maddie, you heartless brat. You're about to give your mom a heart attack. You think you're all grown up now, huh? Don't care about your mom at all now, do you?
"If you don't come back today and beg for your mom's forgiveness, our whole family's gonna make your life hell."
I kept my cool, listening to her shrill voice on the other end. "Aunt Eliza," I said. "You done with your tirade?"
She hesitated, clearly thrown off.
"If you're finished, let's get down to business," I said. "You owe me a debt."
"What debt are you talking about?" Aunt Eliza's voice was wary.
"Oh, nothing major," I replied, real casual. "Jacob's been hitting me up for cash ever since he started university three years ago. It adds up to about fifteen grand.
"He always said it was just a loan. So, when are you gonna pay me back?"
There was dead silence on the other end.
After a few seconds, Aunt Eliza stammered, "I-Isn't it your job as his cousin to help him out? What's the big deal?
"Seriously? You actually expect him to pay you back? Are you for real?"
"Oh?" I chuckled. "We're family. Family should always have each other's backs. If you're doing well, isn't it your duty to support your family, right?
"Sound familiar? You said this to my mom just yesterday."
Aunt Eliza was at a loss for words.
"It's only natural to pay back what you owe. I'll give you three days. If I don't have the money then, I'll take the transfer records straight to court," I said. "It'll embarrass everyone."
I didn't wait for her reply, just hung up.
As I expected, the next day, my mom came storming into my office.
She didn't bother to call ahead, just barged straight into our department.
"Maddie, get out here right now," she yelled.
Her voice echoed across the whole floor, making everyone stop and stare.
I furrowed my brow and stood up from my seat. "Mom, why are you here?"
"Why am I here? I'm here for you, you ungrateful brat," she shouted.
She grabbed my arm and started bawling loud enough for the whole office to hear.
"Hey, everyone, check out my daughter," my mom shouted. "She graduated from a fancy university, works at some big-shot company, pulls in a fat paycheck every month.
"But for some penniless loser from nowhere, she's turned her back on her own mother. I was sick in the hospital, and she couldn't care less. She just abandoned me at home.
"I worked so hard to raise her, and this is how she pays me back."
She kept crying, pounding her chest and making a scene.
My coworkers crowded around, whispering and gossiping about me.
Lydia Webber, my department head, came rushing over, looking pretty upset. "Maddie, what's going on?"
"Lydia, this is my mom," I said, doing my best to keep my voice steady.
"Ma'am, if you've got issues, let's step outside. This is a company, and it's not really the place for this," Lydia said, trying to smooth things over.
"Step outside? What's the point? There's nothing left to say to Maddie," my mom snapped. "She's cutting me off.
"Let's see what everyone thinks. Am I really the one in the wrong here?"
My mom totally ignored Lydia and just ramped up the drama even more.
I knew exactly what she was up to. She wanted to mess up my work life and back me into a corner.
I took a deep breath and pulled a few papers out of my bag.
"Mom, since you insist on airing this out here, let's lay it all out right now," I said.
I held up the first paper. It was the hospital diagnosis and discharge summary.