I Refused To Reunite With My Family

I followed her inside the apartment.

The decoration was familiar, with cool tones and minimalist designs. It was elegant and distant, just like her.

But my heart no longer stirred this time.

She took a bottle of water from the fridge and tossed it to me. Then, she walked toward the window and lit herself a slender cigarette.

The hazy smoke curled between us, like a fog that separated our worlds.

“Harry, I know you’re upset,” she said with a muffled voice through the haze.

“I didn’t handle your family matters properly. But Zac’s mental state is unstable. He… can’t take any more emotional strain.”

It was Zac Lowe again.

I looked down, twisted open the bottle, and took a sip.

The cold water slid down my throat, but it did not wash away the bitterness that rose within me.

She had said the same thing in our previous life.

She told me Zac had a fragile mind and was prone to self-destruction since childhood. She told me to be patient with him after I went back to my family.

And I did.

I let Cathy pour all of her attention on him. I remained silent and endured his endless provocations and tantrums.

But he used his own death to sentence me and Cathy’s marriage to ten years of torment.

Seeing me silent, Cathy assumed I was sulking about being denied my own family. She crushed the cigarette in the ashtray.

She turned, walked to me, and lowered her head slightly to meet my eyes where I sat on the sofa. There was a plea in her gaze.

“Don’t be mad at me, all right?”

Her tone was so gentle. She placed her hand over mine on the bottle.

“I admit my mistake. I didn’t investigate the matter properly and gave you false hope. Tell me if there’s anything you want as compensation. I’ll make it up to you as long as it’s within my power.”

She paused. Her tone of voice was imploring when she finally spoke. “But let’s not think about the Lowe family for now, all right?”

She had surrendered completely. The affection in her eyes nearly overflowed.

I could see it clearly. She truly feared that I would be mad and feared losing me.

But that affection was built upon the sacrifice of my identity.

I lifted my gaze to meet hers and felt an urge to laugh.

“I don’t want anything.”

I drew my hand back, and her gaze darkened instantly.

“Don’t worry. Even if the Lowe family offered all their wealth and begged for my return, I won’t look twice.

“There’s no need for you to apologize either. You owe me nothing. We should end this.”

Her brows furrowed. She straightened up abruptly with a cold expression.

“End this? Harry, are you throwing a tantrum? Are you threatening me because I didn’t let you go back to the Lowe family?”

She leaned forward and pressed her palms against the sofa on both sides of me, trapping me in her shadow.

“I only told you not to return to the Lowe family. I never said we should break up! We can go back to how we were before! I’ll treat you even better than before!”

I looked at her, and I felt exhausted.

She believed that by stripping away my identity as the actual Lowe family’s son, we could somehow return to our peaceful beginning, and our love could continue as it used to be.

But she did not understand that the tragedy had never started with my return to the Lowe family.

“Cathy…” I pushed her away and stood up to put some distance between us. “I’m tired. I want to go back.”

Without sparing her a second glance, I turned and headed for the door.

She did not stop me this time.