"You're more important than any relationship?—"
"Then prove it by not letting Dad use me as a weapon. He's counting on you prioritizing my immediate needs over your long-term happiness. Don't let him win."
We talk for a few more minutes, and I listen to everything she is saying, mainly because she won’t let me get a word in.
After we hang up, I'm left staring at my phone, torn between impossible choices.
If I stay with Lennox, Maya loses her support system. Her school. Her therapy that's been keeping her stable.
If I break up with Lennox, I'm letting my father control my life. Proving him right that I can't make my own decisions.
There's no good answer.
I drive to Lennox's dorm without thinking. I need to see her. I need to figure this out together.
She opens the door in pajamas, clearly about to go to bed.
"Carter? What's wrong?"
I tell her everything. My father's visit. The ultimatum. Maya's response. The impossible choice.
She listens without interrupting, and when I finish, she's very pale.
"So he's threatening your sister?" She questions.
"Essentially, yes."
"That's..." She takes a breath. "That's abusive. You know that, right?"
"I know. But it doesn't change the fact that if I don't do what he wants, Maya suffers."
"And if you do what he wants, you suffer. And so do I." She sits on her bed. "What do you want to do?"
"I want to tell him to fuck off. But I can't risk Maya's wellbeing for my happiness." I have to be honest with her, I care too much for my sister.
"So you're going to break up with me."
"No. I don't know. I—" I run my hands through my hair. "I need time to figure this out. Find a way to support Maya without his money. But that takes time I don't have. He wants an answer by tomorrow."
She's quiet for a long moment. "Maybe we should take a break."
"What?"
"Just until you figure out the Maya situation. Until you can support her without your father's help." She won't look at me. "That way you're technically doing what he wants, but it's temporary. And once you have a plan?—"
"No. Absolutely not. That's exactly what he wants. For us to break up, for him to win?—"
"This isn't about winning! This is about your sister's safety and mental health!" Her voice cracks. "Carter, I care about you. So much, but I can't be the reason Maya loses her support system. I won't be."
"You're not the reason. He is?—"
"It doesn't matter who's at fault. What matters is keeping Maya safe." She finally looks at me, and there are tears in her eyes. "So we take a break. You figure out finances and when you can support her without his money, we revisit this."
"And if that takes months? A year?" I can't believe she’s thinking about this.
"Then it takes that long." Her answer hits me way harder than I thought it would.
I want to argue. I want to fight this, but she's right and I hate it.
