Three months.
That’s how long it’s been since the auction.
Since everything changed.
Sincehim.
Pierce.
Sometimes it still feels unreal. Like I’m living in someone else’s life—one that’s too intense, too messy, too much to actually belong to me. And yet… Here I am. Living in his house, sleeping in his bed.
Well, as he always likes to remind me, it’s nothisbed andhishouse, it’sours.
A few weeks ago, I made a decision. One I’d been avoiding since the moment I got here.
I called them. And by them I mean our fucked up version of a family. The people that were supposed to be our parents, but decided to get rid of both of us, the second we stopped fitting their perfect image of a family.
Honestly, I’ve never thought of them before a few days ago. I guess, I just wanted to see, maybe they’d changed. But maybe the fact that they haven’t called or texted me, or even reported me missing, after almost a year since they’ve kicked me out should’ve been a sign.
But as always, I’m too naive, and always trying to see the best in people, and give everyone a chance. Even these fucking monsters.
They were surprised to hear my voice.
That much was obvious.
But when the video call connected and Pierce stepped into frame beside me—
That’s when everything shifted.
Their faces hardened almost instantly.
“Harley,” my mother said sharply, like my name tasted wrong in her mouth.
“What is this?”
“What are you talking about? Don’t you recognise your son, Pierce? But I guess, it’s been what? Almost a decade since you kicked him out, so I guess, a memory loss is expected.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” his father snapped.
The fight was explosive, loud, and messy.
Everything that had been buried for years came straight to the surface without restraint.
“You let this happen again?” my mother demanded.
“After everything?”
“Let?” I shot back.
“No one let anything happen. This is my choice.”
“Your choice?” she laughed bitterly.
“This isn’t a choice, Harley. This is a mistake.”
“Don’t you see how disgusting this is? You two are brothers, you can’t be together. What will people think of you? Don't you understand how much you will embarrass us? How your father is supposed to explain this to our friends or his business partners. Explain that you are..”
“What, mum? Gay? That we two are together? Wait… I just did. See this wasn’t as hard as you thought.”