Silence wrapped around the table like fog. No one dared speak. Most were tired—tired of Wesley's biting remarks, of pretending his approval still mattered, of birthdays that felt more like interrogations than celebrations.
Then Wesley's voice cut through.
"You, kid—still getting in trouble at school?" he asked, jabbing his finger toward Vince.
Vince didn't flinch. He smirked. "Of course not, Grandfather. That's what I should say. But you probably already know the truth."
A low chuckle escaped from the old man's throat. "Cheeky bastard."
It was hard to read, but Vince swore there was a flicker of something softer in his grandfather's eyes—something rare. Wesley had little respect left for his children, but with his grandchildren, it was different. He still judged them, still barked, but there was a sliver of patience. A small, buried hope.
Maybe he saw them as a second chance. Or maybe he simply hadn't been hurt by them—yet.
They ate in relative peace after that. No one dared provoke Wesley again.
Eventually, the cake was brought out—a towering confection of white and gold, adorned with sugar flowers and candles that sparkled like fireworks. At first, Wesley refused to blow them out.
"Don't treat me like a child," he grumbled.
But Sonia—half-smiling, half-threatening—managed to coax him into it.
That earned a sigh—and finally, a huff of breath across the candles. A small cheer rose up from the table. For a moment, the weight lifted.
When the celebration wrapped, family members made their excuses. The sigh of relief was almost audible. One by one, cars pulled away from the estate.
Vince stood near the gate, bag in hand, ready to head back to the city. But his mother found him before he could slip away.
"Would you stay for a week?" Grace asked quietly. "Just a week. It gets lonely here. And you know how your grandfather is... with me here alone all the time."
Vince looked at her. Tired, composed, strong. The kind of strength that doesn't come from yelling, but from enduring.
He sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll stay."
Grace smiled. "Thank you."
As she walked back inside, Vince looked up at the sky. The stars above the estate were sharp and clear—far from the haze of Manx city lights.
One week, he thought.
Then I'm out.
That night, Vince sat beneath the family gazebo, a quiet space nestled between sculpted hedges and flowering vines. The estate grounds were silent, bathed in soft moonlight. The stars above shimmered like they actually meant something.
Sonia sat beside him, legs crossed, sipping from a can of peach soda.
"You heading back tomorrow?" he asked, eyes fixed on the sky.
"Maybe," she replied. "Depends how fast I get sick of this place."
"I'm surprised you came at all. You fake it pretty well, but I know you can't stand Grandfather."
Sonia exhaled, long and slow. "Mmm. I can't. The man makes my skin crawl. But... I'm still part of this family. And I made a promise to Grandma before she passed. I think... I regret that promise sometimes."
"We all made it," Vince said, leaning back on his hands. "Didn't expect it to feel like carrying a boulder."
They sat in silence for a beat, lost in the kind of honesty that only slips out at night.
Then Sonia broke it. "Anyway, enough about promises. Got a girlfriend yet?"
"Huh?" Vince blinked. "Of course not. I'm staying single till the day I die. Legendary bachelor status."
"Stop joking. You're eighteen and I've never seen you bring anyone home. Wait—are you...?" She raised an eyebrow, grinning.
"No," Vince cut her off. "I'm not gay."
"Okay, okay! Chill," she laughed. "Then where's your girlfriend?"
"Dating's too much work. I'd rather just have fun, keep it simple."
"Boooring," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Shut up. Aren't you engaged? Go worry about your own relationship."
"Duh, I'm engaged. What do I have to worry about?" She flashed the diamond ring in his face, wiggling her fingers like a magician showing off a trick.
"You're so childish. How the hell are you my big sister?"
"And you act like you don't absolutely love your big sister."
"I don't. I outright hate you," he said, deadpan.
"Of course you do," she replied with an annoyed smirk.
They sat there for most of the night, tossing insults like dodgeballs, laughing in between jabs, letting the silence fill with the easy rhythm only siblings could share.
The next morning, Sonia dropped Vince off at school in her pristine white coupe. The moment she stepped out to stretch and toss her hair into a loose bun, half the male student body paused mid-conversation, slack-jawed.
"Who's that?"
"Is that his sister?"
"She's gorgeous."
Vince stepped out of the car and immediately felt the heat of every envious stare.
"Tch. Thanks for ruining my day," he muttered.
"What?" Sonia grinned. "I'm just being supportive. You're welcome, loser."
She drove off with a wave, leaving Vince to walk toward the school gate feeling like a circus act.
Then—an arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulders.
"Hey, son of a bitch! You left me to rot yesterday!" Dale's voice was sharp with betrayal.
"Hey!" Vince shoved him off, laughing, and bolted through the gates.
"You bastard!" Dale shouted, sprinting after him.
Vince darted down the hallways, weaving between students and dodging backpacks like he was in a chase scene. He finally slipped into one of the school's club rooms, shut the door, and leaned back against it. Breathing heavy, he slowly slid to the floor, heart pounding in his chest.
Then—
"You again."
His head snapped up.
Sitting by the window, in front of a half-finished canvas, was her—the girl from before.
Vanessa.
She held a brush in her hand, her expression unreadable. The canvas before her was painted with vivid strokes of green and gold. A sunflower field, bursting with color, stretched across the canvas like something out of a memory.
Sunlight poured in through the window behind her, catching in her blonde hair and lighting her green eyes like emeralds. Vince felt the air leave his lungs.
She was breathtaking.
Again.
Is this... a coincidence? he wondered, too stunned to stand up.