"I'll be living the good life, and you can stay home doing chores with Mom and work part-time jobs through college to support the family!"
I delivered this speech with the fervor of a campaign promise. Zachery's expression, meanwhile, crumbled inch by inch into mortified silence.
He couldn't meet our mother's eyes.
See? Nobody wanted the hard life.
When Zachery said nothing, I turned to my father.
He stiffened the moment he felt my gaze land on him.
"Dad. You and Mom have spent all these years keeping score down to the last penny. She's not really a wife to you. You're not really a husband to her. So why keep dragging this out? Just get a divorce."
He stared at me for a long, heavy moment.
"Your mother is the one who insisted on changing your surname."
He refused to bring up the original agreement. I didn't bring it up either. There was no point.
I nodded.
"Mom made a stupid decision. Fine. But even if I don't carry the Gilbert name, I'm still your daughter. She's still your wife."
"Instead, for all these years, she's been doing your housework for free, and you still won't help raise your own kid."