From Now On I Grow Toward Spring Chapter 16
As he spoke, his voice grew softer.
“But I only did it because I love you. If she weren’t your sister, why would I have ever cared about her?”
“Talia, from now on, I’ll put you first. I’ll change. Just trust me one more time, okay?”
I suddenly thought back to years ago.
Back then, he had been nervous just holding my hand.
And he had once told me, with complete sincerity, that I would always be his first choice.
I believed him then.
This time, I didn’t.
I looked at him and said slowly, “Matteo, I don’t believe you.”
The words struck him like a physical blow. The expression on his face froze.
“Talia, you can’t do this.”
“My parents have been thinking about you nonstop. The day you left, Dad’s blood pressure spiked and he passed out. Right before he did, he was telling me to find you. Mom hasn’t been sleeping. She cries every day…”
These past few days had pushed him to his limit.
Sofia was completely incompetent as an executive assistant.
She printed the wrong documents and sent out incorrect contracts.
In the end, he had to fix most of her mistakes himself, nearly doubling his workload.
And when he got home, my mother had thrown out her back trying to help my father and was now stuck in bed.
Sofia, finding caregiving to be too much trouble, had found an excuse to move out.
So my parents could only lie at home and complain.
“Sorry,” I cut him off. “I don’t have time to listen to your family’s problems.”