I didn't sit. I couldn't. The weight in the room pressed too heavily against my chest.
"Elena will be staying here," my mother repeated, as though I hadn't heard her the first time.
I narrowed my eyes. "You've already said that. What you haven't told me is why."
Her smile didn't falter. "Because, son… I need you both."
The words froze me.
"Need us? For what?"
My mother's gaze shifted toward Elena, who now stood with her hands calmly folded, as though she already knew every line of this script.
"Elena is more than just my friend's daughter," my mother continued. "She is… family, in more ways than you understand. And there are certain responsibilities that come with family."
I barked a humorless laugh. "Responsibilities? You abandoned me when I was the one carrying responsibilities. Don't play that card now."
Her eyes darkened. "You left. Don't twist the truth."
The silence that followed was suffocating. I felt Elena's eyes on me, cool and unflinching. When she finally spoke, her voice was smooth, deliberate.
"You think too highly of yourself," she said. "Not everything revolves around your grudges."
My head snapped toward her. "And you think you know me?"
"No." She tilted her head slightly, her lips curving in a faint, unreadable smile. "But I know enough."
My fists clenched, but before I could respond, my mother's voice cut through again, sharp as a blade.
"You will learn to coexist. In fact, you will learn to do more than that."
I froze. My chest tightened. "What do you mean?"
Her eyes glimmered with a dangerous calm.
"You and Elena will be bound together. One way or another. That is the arrangement."
The room spun. My stomach dropped. And for the first time since walking into this house, I realized what this truly was—
Not a reunion.
A trap.
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