~Eva~

I stormed through the front door, my younger sister Tori was standing in the kitchen, shaking her head as if she had already seen this coming.

“Dad did what?” I asked, my tone revealing my disappointment and frustration.

“He went gambling again,” Tori responded, sounding resigned and not at all surprised. She was obviously used to our father’s gambling addiction, having accepted it as a fact of life.

“Why didn’t you stop him?” I snapped, my voice rising as I felt the familiar frustration bubbling up inside me.

“I tried, you know how he is,” Tori replied, looking at me with pity. “Why bother?”. I felt deflated as I let my frustration go.

Tori looked away, saddened by our father’s behavior and my reaction to it. There was nothing else to do but accept it.

I groaned under my breath, feeling helpless and frustrated as I faced my father’s gambling addiction. For years, I had tried everything to keep him from succumbing to his addiction, sacrificing my own dreams and goals to support the family.

As exhaustion and resentment built up inside me, so did the fear about the future and what it would hold for me and my family if Dad continued down this path.

Helen Brooks, my mother, walked in. “Oh Eva, you’re home. I need some money.” She demanded.

This was too much for me to handle. “Go ask your husband for it. I have been providing for everyone without any of the thanks I deserve. I can’t believe you both,” I replied, unable to hold in my annoyance with them.

She rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Don’t be an ungrateful bitch. I gave birth to you and raised you both,” she hissed, trying to guilt-trip me. I tried to suppress my irritation while she continued her berating.

My father, Edward Brooks walked in the room with a look of annoyance on his face. As we all stared at him, he finally realized that he had lost our hard-earned money. “I lost that damn money!” He exclaimed.

The whole situation just angered me more and more, until I just couldn’t hold in my frustration anymore. Anger filled me as I rushed over to confront my father. “You spent my money on gambling? That money wasn’t meant for gambling, Dad!!” I screamed.

He waved me off and snapped. “Oh please, Eva, not now. I lost my money, okay?”

I crossed my arms and pointed to myself, seething. “It was my money, Dad!” I exclaimed. “We work day and night for it!” I added, pointing to Tori.

“Is that what my work means to you?” I asked with bitterness and resentment, unable to contain the emotions that were threatening to burst from my chest.

My father rolled his eyes and shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s gone now, so what does it matter?” He said, his words dismissive and hurtful. I was deeply hurt by his words, and my face crumpled with disappointment.

My mother sighed as the argument continued, her words aimed at both Tori and me as she tried to downplay the issue. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Eva. You can both work for the money again,” She said.

Seeing her disregard for my pain left me feeling abandoned and alone. I felt betrayed by how our mother’s attitude towards us changed from caring and affectionate to dismissive and apathetic. I felt disappointed and sadden by what our family had become. We had worked hard for that money, and there my father was, losing it all without a care, while my mother dismissed our concerns as if it didn’t matter.

As I tried to hold back my tears, I shook my head in disbelief and screamed at my parents, “You think so? I have a life!” I didn’t hold back, as I pointed to my sister, Tori. “Tori has a life too! We both do! We both have dreams!” I cried, unable to hide my growing frustration and disappointment.

“Well, congratulations for being the worst fucking parents!” A slap echoed in the air as it struck my face. My attention turned to its source, my mother, her hand red with guilt, stood over me. In that moment, I was too stunned for words.

When Tori jumped to my side, I watched her protect me from our mother, who now aimed her rage directly at me. “How dare you? You ungrateful bitch! I gave birth to you, clothed you, fed you and raised you,” my mother shouted, her finger pointing to Tori in the most condescending and insulting way possible.

“The same goes to you” she said in a sharp tone.

“You have no idea how hard I and your father worked for both of you!” She continued.

In that moment, my father jumped in, trying to regain control of the situation by shouting “enough”.

But the door bell’s ringing only continued to add to the chaos of the scene, with everyone of us turning our attention to the sudden disruption in the midst of the argument. There was little room for rational thinking. The door burst open, and I watched two men in suits, walked in and stepped aside giving way to a tall, imposing man in suit.

His jacket hung on his shoulders, revealing his broad shoulders and imposing figure. As he stood before us, his cold gaze and sharp eyes of gray filled me with uncertainty. He seemed too confident for his own good, his words dripping with sarcasm.

“Well, well, what a lovely family matter,” he said, his tone making it clear that he was far from being amused. He looked around the tense, anxious expression on our faces. “I’m a busy man,” he continued, “and I can’t wait any longer.”

My father’s eyes widened as he recognized the man, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, “Vi-Vincent?” The man smirked as he acknowledged my father, his voice dripping with mockery.

“You can’t keep running away from me, you know,” he said, his voice tinged with malice. “Your time is up.” The words froze the blood in my veins, my fears coming to life before my eyes.

My father shifted nervously, trying to contain his anxiety, “Please,” he said, “we can talk about this.”

Vincent gestured to the men to close the door and took a seat with a look of indifference on his face. “You owe me money Edward.” He stated with a calm tone devoid of any regard for my father’s words.

I turned to my father, trying to make sense of everything. “Dad, who is he?” My mother nudged me in an attempt to keep me quiet but I didn’t budge. My eyes narrowed as I looked at Vincent. “And why is he saying you owe him?”

Vincent laughed darkly. “He didn’t tell you?…”