Her voice was calm and collected, as if she had anticipated my fury. "Ethan, I’m not commanding you. I’m just discussing it. Before you lose your temper, maybe you should ask the boys for their opinion. They’re adults now, so they have their own minds. Don’t you think you’ve controlled them enough over the years?"
I snapped. " I don’t need to ask. And I certainly won’t agree to this!"
"The blood that runs in our children’s veins is Mitchell’s family blood. That’s their heritage, their legacy!"
"They’ll change their surname to Collins over my dead body!"
Before she could respond, I abruptly hung up.
The phone buzzed repeatedly as she tried to call back, refusing to give in. It was not until I blocked her number that the house finally grew silent again.
I stared at the emptiness that had settled in my home, feeling more isolated than ever before.
The next morning, I began clearing out all of Wanda’s belongings. Once the house was stripped of her traces, it felt less suffocating.
I did not sleep the entire night. My thoughts swirled endlessly until a quiet clarity emerged.
A person cannot live solely for love, especially not for someone who doesn’t love you back.