Chapter 6
When we got home, the first thing I did was turn off my phone.
I didn't want to hear a single word from that family ever again.
Julia was busy in the kitchen, and the smell of food slowly chased away the dark mood I'd brought back from the hospital.
When my daughter got home from school, she threw her arms around my neck and started chattering away about all the funny things that happened at school.
I held her soft little body close, listening to her bright, cheerful laughter.
I felt a kind of peace I'd never known before.
This was my whole world.
To protect this family, I had to harden my heart and cut away those rotten roots for good.
The next day, I turned on my phone.
Dozens of missed calls and over a hundred messages flooded in all at once.
Some were from Mom, some from Edward, and a bunch from relatives I barely ever talk to.
They were all pretty much the same.
Just people calling me heartless, ungrateful, and accusing me of abandoning Dad when he needed me most.
They said I'd turned my back on my own father for money.
One guilt-tripping message after another, piling on the moral condemnation.
I deleted them all, expressionless.
Then I spotted the "The Loving Family" group chat.
After I'd left, someone had dragged me back in without me even noticing.
Right now, the group chat was blowing up.
Edward posted a hospital bill.
[Today's bill is four thousand dollars.]
[I'm almost out of cash.] Edward said, his voice tight with worry.
Cora jumped in right after.
[Michael, isn't it time for you to cough up your share?]
Michael sent a helpless emoji.
[Hey, that money was supposed to go into my investments. If I pull it out now, I'll lose a lot on interest.]
[Besides, doesn't Dad have insurance?]
Edward shot back right away.
[Insurance barely covers anything, most of those imported meds are all out of pocket!
[Stop making excuses and just send over the fifteen thousand dollars already!] Edward demanded, not giving Michael any room to wiggle out.
Then all the relatives started chiming in.
[Edward, with your dad in this condition, you boys really need to step up and do your part.]
[Yeah, money can always be earned back, but once your dad's gone, he's gone for good.]
They all talked big about family duty, acting like they were saints.
But not a single one actually offered any money to help.
Then, the topic turned to me.
Cora tagged everyone in the group.
[Everyone, you be the judge. Andrew's nothing but an ungrateful bastard! His dad's in this state, and he won't pay a cent, hasn't even shown up at the hospital!]
[He won't pick up the phone, won't even reply to texts.]
[What did we do to end up with someone like him?]
Mom sent a long voice message, crying her eyes out and making a huge scene.
She called me a heartless son, saying she wished she'd never had me.
The whole group chat turned into a witch hunt, with everyone piling on to rip me apart.
All those relatives were blowing up in the group chat, acting like they were the ones who'd been wronged.
"Andrew's just out of line!"
"He's nothing but a bastard!"
"He needs to pay up! Why does he always dodge the bad?"
I stared at all those phony faces on the screen, feeling utterly disgusted.
They couldn't care less whether Dad lived or died.
All they wanted was to stand on their moral high horse and point fingers at me.
They were just afraid that if I didn't pay up, the whole mess would end up dumped on them someday.
I didn't bother defending myself in the group chat.
Because I knew there was no point trying to reason with them.
I just watched their drama unfold in silence.
I watched them scheme, figuring out ways to make me cave in.
Some said they'd show up at my workplace and make a scene.
Others talked about going to Julia's parents' place to stir up trouble.
Some even threatened to call the cops and accuse me of abandoning my family.
Just as the group chat was blowing up, I spotted Michael's profile picture and shot him a private message.
[Send me Dad's bank account number.]
Michael must've thought I'd finally come around, so he replied in seconds.
[Andrew, you finally came around! See? I told you we're family!]
He quickly sent over a string of account numbers.
I copied the number and opened up my mobile banking app.
I transferred the thirty thousand dollars I'd covered for Edward's house.
And the twenty-five thousand dollars I'd given Michael as a wedding gift.
That made sixty thousand dollars in total.
I sent the exact amount, down to the last cent.
In the memo, I wrote just a few words.
[We're square now.]
After that, I dropped one last message in the noisy family group chat.
It was a screenshot of the transfer.
Then I hit the button in the top right corner.
I deleted the group and exited for good.
My phone started ringing off the hook.
Edward was calling.
I hung up.
Edward called again.
I hung up again.
Then Margaret called.
Then Michael called.
After that, my phone started lighting up with calls from all sorts of unknown numbers.
Call after call, like a relentless curse that just wouldn't let up.
I counted, a whopping fifty-three missed calls.
They must've lost their minds.
I put my phone on silent and tossed it aside.
Edward sent another text.
[Andrew! What the hell is this supposed to mean? You think sending a bit of money lets you cut ties with us? Pick up the phone!]
I stared at the message for a moment, thinking about it.
In the end, I replied.
[No share, no responsibility.]
After sending it, I blocked all their numbers.
At last, my world was completely at peace.