Thirty-Six Wedding Lanterns All For My Younger Sister Chapter 02
When Evan saw me, he managed a strained smile before quickly crossing the room and pulling a tear-streaked Chloe into his arms.
“Why are you crying?”
Chloe gave his chest a light swat.
“Because of you.”
“I don’t want to marry you anymore. I’m going to miss Mom and Dad.”
Evan froze, but my brother laughed.
“You’re ridiculous, Chloe. Evan lives right nearby. Getting married doesn’t mean you can’t come home whenever you want.”
Mom and Dad exchanged knowing smiles.
“Evan’s a good man,” Mom said. “But if he lived far away, we never would’ve approved, no matter how good he was.”
Three months earlier, I’d told my parents that I’d decided to get married. They hadn’t even looked up from putting food on Chloe’s plate.
All they’d said was, “If he’s who you want, that’s all that matters.”
They hadn’t asked what he did for a living, what kind of family he came from, when I planned to bring him home, or even what his name was.
But I remembered exactly what happened when they found out Chloe was dating Evan. Despite having known him since childhood, they grilled him for two straight hours.
They asked about everything from his family background and future plans to whether he snored in his sleep.
The one issue I’d expected them to object to most was how far away I’d be living. I’d prepared argument after argument in my boyfriend’s defense, but I never had to use a single one.
My nails dug into my palm.
I should’ve understood a long time ago.
They didn’t care who I married or where I ended up living.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from my boyfriend.
My boyfriend: [Have your parents agreed to our plan to move abroad after the wedding?]
Without hesitating, I typed back.
Me: [Yes.]
A hand suddenly clamped around my wrist.
“Maya, you’ve gotten awfully good at slacking off.”
“Can’t you see Evan’s here? Go make a couple more sides.”
Evan stepped in.
“That’s really not necessary, Maya Bennett. I’ll eat whatever’s already here.”
Hearing him use my full name in that cold, distant tone, I gave an awkward smile.
“It’s fine. I’ll make them.”
Behind me, Chloe called out, “Make them spicy! Evan likes heat.”
No one knew Evan and I had secretly dated for three years.
I knew what he liked better than anyone.
At dinner, Mom and Dad brought out two property deeds. When Mom handed one to me, I stared at it for a second.
“I get one too?”
Mom gave me an exasperated look.
“You’re both our daughters. Of course you get one if Chloe gets one. We’re being fair.”
My brother pulled out two sets of car keys.
“Mom and Dad aren’t going to be the only ones giving wedding gifts. I got something for both of you too.”
Chloe immediately held her property deed and the key fob to a BMW 7 Series in front of Evan.
“A three-bedroom condo downtown and a luxury car. What do you think, Evan? This is what having my family in my corner looks like.”
“Let’s see you try to mess with me now.”
Evan lifted both hands in surrender.
“Okay, Your Highness. Everyone knows you’re the Bennetts’ spoiled princess. I’m not stupid enough to mess with you.”
The whole family burst out laughing.
I looked down at what they’d given me.
My deed was for a dilapidated old house barely five hundred square feet that had been deemed unsafe. The car was my brother’s castoff from the year before, an old wreck that should’ve been junked instead of passed down.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
“And you still call this fair?”
The room went silent.
Mom frowned but said nothing.
Dad took a sip of bourbon and ate a few salted peanuts.
“This is what we can give you. Take it or leave it. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
My brother set down his silverware with a thud.
“Don’t be ungrateful, Maya.”
I tossed the deed and keys onto the table and held out my hand to Mom.
“I don’t want any of it. Just give me back control of my bank account.”
After I started working, my parents had sat me down and presented me with a bill for everything they’d supposedly spent raising and educating me: thirty thousand dollars, no more and no less.
I couldn’t afford to pay it all at once, so Mom took control of the account where my paycheck went.
She said she’d give me a small amount each month for living expenses and put everything else toward the debt.
Mom looked at me with open contempt.
“You haven’t even paid off the thirty thousand yet, and you have the nerve to ask for your account back?”
I’d recorded every dollar in a small notebook.
With the bonus I’d received that month, the debt had already been paid in full, and there should’ve been another fifteen thousand dollars left in the account.