“I did, but I only stayed with your grandma for a few weeksbefore I went back to your father.” Her mom lifted her gaze and bit her trembling lips.
Then Aubrey knew, and it felt like a punch in the gut. Her mom had her when she was twenty-five. “You found out you were pregnant. You went back because of me.”
“That’s what I told myself. That I went back and stayed with your father for you.” Tears were streaming unchecked down her mom’s pale cheeks. “But that’s not true. I was afraid of being alone, of struggling to provide for you. I had already lost myself by then. I was a scared shadow of my old self with no hopes or dreams of my own. I used the pregnancy as an excuse to go back.”
“Mom.”
“Let me finish. You need to hear this.Ineed to say this.” She wiped her face with her palms and straightened her back. “I know I wasn’t there for you. I shut everyone out, drowning in my nightmare. I failed you. I failed myself. I know I could never make it up to you, but I have to try. Will you let me?”
“Mom, you don’t need to ask. I was a horrible teenage brat, and adult me wasn’t much better. I wish I’d been there for you, too, instead of hurting you and making you feel more alone.” Aubrey’s tears weren’t of sorrow but of freedom and peace. “You and I, we let Father’s toxic influence break us apart. Breakus.Never again, Mom. No one will take away our confidence and shove us in a corner.”
“Never again.” Her mom’s eyes were bright with tears and determination.
“Yes.” Landon drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Twenty percent.”
“That’s too big of a risk,” his financial advisor sputtered on the other end.
“It’s just 20 percent of one portfolio.”
“It’s still a huge amount of money.”
Landon was fighting the madness clawing at his mind by focusing on his investments. His advisors thought he was taking unnecessary risks, but he knew exactly what he was doing. Taking calculated risks for high payouts. He studied the market for hours on end. It was the most effective way to distract himself from the gaping hole in his chest. Drinking was a shitty excuse of a crutch. It only made him feel as physically miserable as he was inside.
“Don’t worry, Stu. The payout is worth the risk.”
His financial advisor made a choking noise on the other end.
Landon’s brief spurt of amusement left him. “Do it.”
“I can’t stand back and watch you bankrupt yourself.”
“Stop being dramatic. I don’t have all my eggs in one fucking portfolio. Do it.”
Landon hung up on him without waiting for a response and dialed his property manager. Unlike his finance guy, his property manager didn’t question Landon’s requests even when they seemed reckless. After five minutes of listening to “Yes, Mr. Kim,” Landon grew tired of the call and the property manager. He made a mental note to replace the yes-man. Stu cared enough to argue with him. He was irritating, but he had a backbone. Landon couldn’t work with someone who let him make seemingly stupid decisions without a fight.
Not that his plans were anywhere near stupid. He wasn’t like his father with his unrealistic schemes. Landon worked his ass off to accrue his wealth. It gave him the power to protect his family and his future. He wouldn’t do anything to risk that.
He drove in silent contemplation, pushing his car far beyond the speed limit. His fingers resumed their restless drumming on the steering wheel. It wasn’t enough, though. None of it was enough. His cell phone rang, and Landon answered without looking to see who it was. He figured it was another one of his frustrated advisors.
“Landon.” His mom’s warm voice traveled through the lines.
“Is something wrong?” His question came out gruffer than he intended.
“Why do you ask that every time I call?” his mom responded in Korean. “Can’t I call my son to say hello?”
“Of course, you can.” He ran a hand down his face. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, baby.”
Landon could feel her smile, and he was suddenly homesick. “But seriously. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
Did Seth say something to Mom?
“There’s nothing to tell.” The now-familiar burning spread in his chest. The pain tore at him as he fought to push away thoughts of Aubrey. “I’m fine.”
“Seth says you’re behaving like a madman. Like you’re trying to destroy yourself.” His mom’s voice trembled. “Landon, whatever it is, come home.”
