Chapter 32: Understanding

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Understanding Adam shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts. With a weary sigh, he returned to the dining table, setting the Rolex box aside. The excitement from moments ago had faded, leaving behind a suffocating heaviness in the air. He picked up his spoon but merely stirred the contents of his plate, lost in thought. The rest of the family watched him cautiously, exchanging glances but choosing to remain silent. If the problem had been a simple one, Adam would have spoken by now. The depth of his silence, the way his shoulders seemed to sag under an invisible weight—it suggested that the situation was far more dire than any of them had initially thought. Dinner carried on in hushed tones, the usual warmth of shared meals absent. Plates were cleared with quiet efficiency, and soon, one by one, everyone retreated to their rooms, seeking the solace of sleep. But for some, rest would not come so easily. Aurora and Olivia entered their shared bedroom only to find Adriana curled up on her bed, muffling her sobs into her pillow. The dim glow of the bedside lamp cast elongated shadows, making the room feel smaller and more stifling. Olivia stopped in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest, an unimpressed expression settling on her face. "Seriously?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You’re crying? After everything you just said? After the way you hurt Dad?" Adriana didn’t respond. She remained facing away from them, her body curled in on itself as if she could somehow shield herself from Olivia’s words. But Olivia wasn’t done. The longer she stood there, the more her frustration built, simmering into something sharp and unyielding. "You think you’re the only one struggling? That you’re the only one who’s tired of this life?" she snapped. "We’re all tired, Adriana. We’re all adjusting, sacrificing, making do. And yet, here you are, acting like you have it worse than the rest of us. Like you’re the only one who deserves better." Aurora, who had been standing in tense silence, took a cautious step forward. "Sister, maybe—" "No!" Olivia interrupted, her voice rising. "She needs to hear this. She sat at that table and tore Dad apart when he was already breaking under the weight of everything. And now she’s crying?" At last, Adriana turned. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face streaked with tears, but there was a fire burning in her gaze. "Do you think I wanted to hurt him?" she shot back, her voice hoarse but fierce. "Do you think I don’t feel guilty?" Olivia scoffed. "Could’ve fooled me." Adriana clenched her fists, her breath shuddering. "I just—I can’t pretend anymore, okay? I can’t sit there and act like everything’s fine when it’s not! I’m tired of lying to myself. I’m tired of scraping by and calling it ’making do.’ I want more for myself. For all of us!" Her voice cracked, raw with frustration and helplessness. "We all want more, Adriana!" Olivia shot back, stepping closer. "But throwing a tantrum and making Dad feel like a failure isn’t the way to get it! Do you want to talk about sacrifice? What have you sacrificed? Because from where I’m standing, all you’ve done is complain while Mom and Dad break their backs trying to keep this family together!" "Just complain? Olivia, you will never understand me. As for what sacrifices I have made? You should ask Mom and Dad yourself!" Adriana shouted. Her eyes were brimmed with tears, as she stormed off the room. Aurora sighed and turned toward Olivia who averted her gaze and walked toward the desk muttering, "She is always crying about sacrificing, but she hasn’t listed a single thing! Selfish." "She has indeed sacrificed a lot." Aurora calmly said as she started to fix the blanket. "Come on Aurora, don’t give that bullsh*t. You don’t understand. She always treats mother and father as if they are her enemies." Olivia rolled her eyes. "If you were in her place maybe you would have done the same." Aurora sighed. Olivia was irritated and asked, "Aurora don’t act like you understand everything. You are just a 13-year-old who is about to turn 14." "Sister I just see everything clearly. Do you know why Adriana hasn’t attended a single prom? She didn’t have enough money for a prom dress. Last year she had accumulated enough money for a prom dress, but it went to my medical bill. You know she had won two fashion design competitions, but mother and father weren’t even present when she got those awards, reason? They didn’t get a day off from their work. Do you know why she lied about her age and got a part-time job at the age of 16? Just so she can give some extra pocket to her siblings. To not burden our parents, she saved whatever she had so that she could pay a part of the university fees on her own. She never participated in any activity just so her other siblings could participate in other activities. She was there to look after us. Mother and father always asked Eldest brother and eldest sister to look after us, but come on who was there to look after them? They hardly received love for 2 years, before they were dumped the responsibility of being the eldest siblings." Olivia faltered for a moment, her lips parting as if to refute Aurora’s words, but no retort came. A storm of emotions crossed her face—frustration, disbelief, guilt—but she masked it quickly, setting her jaw in stubborn defiance. "That doesn’t mean she gets to lash out at everyone," Olivia muttered, arms crossed tightly. "We’re all struggling. We’re all making sacrifices. That doesn’t make her special." Aurora sighed, smoothing out the blanket on her bed as she spoke, her voice calm but firm. "No, it doesn’t make her special. But it does mean she deserves some understanding." Olivia exhaled sharply, pacing towards the desk, fingers drumming impatiently against the wooden surface. "Understanding? She just yelled at Dad like it was his fault! Like he isn’t doing everything he can!"