I Announced Our Divorce To Airport Reporters

Annika James barely flinched. By now, she was used to it.

It seemed like Ocean Watkins had never been satisfied with her, not even when she was a child. When Annika was little, Ocean would gripe about her table manners—how she was too rough, too carefree, nowhere near ladylike. Once Annika got older and started school, Ocean was quick to rip into her grades, brushing her off as scatterbrained and only concerned with her looks. She hated Annika’s bangs, always insisting she tie her hair back, and constantly picked apart her style, calling it tacky.

Even after Ocean divorced Andrew James, any run-in brought the same snide remarks.

At first, Annika took it to heart, but her dad, Andrew, was always there to pick her back up.

“Girls don’t have to fit some mold. There’s no rulebook for how a girl—or a boy—should be. Everyone’s got their own vibe, whether they’re quiet or loud. Annika, you just be you.”

“Grades aren’t everything. Our Annika just needs to be kind. And of course you love fashion—you’re stunning, sweetheart.”

“Your bangs? Totally adorable. You’ve got gorgeous, thick hair. Thank God you didn’t get your dad’s bald spot.”

“Wear whatever you want. You’re gorgeous no matter what, even in an old potato sack.”

His constant support patched up the cracks in Annika’s heart, shaping her into someone sunny, confident, and full of life.

“...And another thing,” Ocean rattled on, barely pausing, “why do you look so wiped? You used to always have a smile on your face. You didn’t sleep well last night?”

Annika had no interest in explaining. She knew her mother would never truly get it, or even care.

“Mom, you said you wanted to talk. What’s going on?”

Ocean seemed to feel the distance growing between them. She hesitated, then said, “It’s about your brother.”

Annika dropped her gaze, already guessing what this was about.

“Your brother’s starting high school soon, and I was hoping you could talk to Xavier, ask him to help get Timothy into Greenfield Academy.”

Ocean’s second husband had health issues that ruled out natural conception, so Ocean had Timothy through IVF. Timothy had been fragile from birth—he even came down with myocarditis in elementary school and had to repeat a year. Now, at thirteen, he was finally finishing grade school and prepping for high school. His grades had always been lousy, so he was headed to whatever local school his zoning dictated. But Ocean was dead set on him not ending up in just any school.

“Timothy’s really bright, just a little mischievous right now,” Ocean explained. “It’s not his fault—kids naturally love to play and have fun. Boys mature later than girls, but they catch up fast with the right teachers and the right environment.”

Annika listened in silence, seeing the stark difference between this affectionate mother and the hypercritical one she’d grown up with. So her mother was capable of being warm and understanding. When it came to Timothy, happiness was clearly more important than grades.

Ocean had never shown that kind of affection and understanding toward Annika.

Annika lowered her head again, not answering right away.

Ocean went on, sharing stories of Timothy’s little antics—the same things Annika had done as a kid and gotten scolded for. But now, they were a source of pride for Ocean, all because it was Timothy.

Over the course of twenty-plus years, Annika had slowly come to accept that maybe her mother just didn’t love her the way she’d always hoped.

But now, she still couldn’t wrap her head around why Ocean favored Timothy so much.

She was Ocean’s child, too.

Why did her mother love another kid more than her?

Annika glanced at her watch. 11:20 already. She’d been waiting nearly forty minutes, and Xavier Parker still hadn’t shown up.

“Annika James, are you even listening to me? Why are you being so rude?” Ocean snapped, catching Annika’s distraction.

Annika turned to face her mother. “I don’t want to help.”

Ocean looked stunned. “What?”

“I said,” Annika stood up, “I don’t want Xavier involved. Your son’s problems are yours to handle.”

Ocean blinked, trying to process her daughter’s words. Then she shot to her feet, disbelief written all over her face.

“Annika James, do you even realize what you’re saying? What do you mean, ‘your son’? He’s your brother!” Ocean’s anger boiled over, her voice shaking. “Why are you so—?”

“So what? Are you going to slap another label on me? Tear me down again?” Annika met Ocean’s eyes, calm on the surface but with hurt carefully hidden underneath. “You’ve always been so quick to define me by the worst things. You’ve said things like, ‘Why are you so dumb? Why are you such a disappointment? So manipulative and selfish?’ ... Mom, do you even realize how damaging those words are to a kid?”

Ocean was momentarily speechless, instinctively defensive. “That was years ago. Why are you still holding onto that?”

Annika let out a soft, bitter laugh. Belittling her had clearly become second nature to Ocean.

Annika shrugged. “I’m rude, petty, insignificant, manipulative—and nowhere near as deserving as Timothy. I’m not even fit to be your daughter.”

Ocean stared at Annika, sensing something different in her daughter, something she didn’t recognize. After a beat, Ocean’s voice softened. “Annika, that’s not what I meant. I just... I knew you were sensible, so I was harder on you. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I’m sorry.”

Watching her mother try to smooth things over, Annika felt a deep, aching sadness.

She remembered the first time Ocean had reached out, after Annika married Xavier, suggesting they grab lunch and go shopping. Annika had still been in mourning for Bowen Flores, just getting through each day. When Ocean called, Annika felt like she’d spotted a flicker of light in all that darkness.

But when Ocean saw her daughter looking so disheveled, all she said was, “Annika, why are you so down? You’re Xavier Parker’s wife now. You represent him—his status, his reputation. I wasn’t around much before, but now that you’re Mrs. Parker, let’s stay in touch. Your uncle misses you, too. Let’s have dinner tonight, and bring Xavier. Your uncle’s company has a project that could use his help.”