Chapter 24

Later, tucking him into bed, she told him her gift that year was a warning not to trust anyone and a lesson in how to handle disappointment. What kind of mother packaged a parcel to disguise it as the thing he wanted?

The joke was on her. Rich learned. He dealt with the sadness, the displeasure, and the unfulfilled hopes. He had lowered his expectations and approached his parents with weariness and mistrust ever since.

That day he’d stopped fearing her, without realising, until later, not having known until then of his terror, trying to win her approval with everything he did. From that moment, his choices became a military strategy, fooling the enemy into believing he trod the designated path. He almost looked forward to telling her he was gay but refused to be rushed—he would choose when and how. When doing so became important, and after he told his sister—the one person in the world he always trusted and always would.