The question hits like a sucker punch. My spoon stills in the bowl.
“What would I do?” I ask carefully.
She looks at me like the answer’s obvious. “You have to confront her, Matthew.”
I shake my head. “Why? She lied to me, Brooke. I already cut her out once. What am I supposed to do-call her, yell at her, and cut her off again?”
“Shouldn’t you at least talk to her?” she asks softly.
“No.” The word comes out sharper than I mean it to. “She’s my ma. Drop it.”
Brooke nods, quiet. “Of course.” She takes the laptop again, her face backlit by the screen.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I say after a moment.
She doesn’t look at me.
“Brooke,” I try again. “Come on.”
But she just keeps her eyes on the screen, her silence louder than anything she could’ve said.
“Brooke, please don’t be like that,” I say, my voice coming out more desperate than I want it to. “I’m under a lot of stress, okay? But I shouldn’t have snapped. I’m sorry. Okay?”
She finally looks up from the laptop. Her face isn’t cold exactly, but it’s tired,fuck.
“There’s only so many times you can say sorry before it loses its meaning,” she says quietly. Not cruel. Just… honest.
I open my mouth, ready to argue, to defend myself, to saysomething.
But nothing comes out.
Because she’s right.
Sorry only goes so far. And I’ve spent too long hiding behind it.
“I’ll go to therapy,” I say quickly, the words tumbling out before I can second-guess them. “I’ll do the work. I promise. Just… don’t leave. Okay?”
She bites her lip, and for a second I can’t tell if she’s holding back tears or a scream. The silence stretches, painfully pressing against my chest.
Then she looks up at me, and her voice is calm. “I love you, Matthew. But I won’t stay in a relationship where I’m not an equal.”
I open my mouth, but she doesn’t let me interrupt.
“I know you love me,” she says. “But I’m not sure yourespectme. Not as a partner, anyway.”
She rolls her head, exhaustion settling over her features. “I’m tired. I didn’t sleep last night. Can you watch Penny?”
“Of course,” I say immediately.
She nods. “Thanks.”
And just like that, she stands and heads down the hall.
I sit there, staring at the empty space she left behind, the sound of her footsteps fading into the bedroom.
I meant what I said about doing the work. Idid.
But right now, I don’t even know where to start.
