: Cutting Ties

4.

I'd scratched Leo Sutton's face to ribbons, and Ozzy Shaw didn't even dare step forward to break up the fight.

In the end, the dorm supervisor had to run over and pull me away. Only then did a visibly shaken Ozzy Shaw hurry to help Leo Sutton up and flee.

"Lillian Sutton, you're a total bitch!"

He didn't dare turn back to curse at me until he was a safe distance away. "I must have been fucking blind to have ever liked you!"

"Fuck off!"

I'd taken some cheap shots from Leo Sutton, too. My hair was a mess, and my body was aching all over.

But I still spat hard on the ground. "Meeting you two was the worst fucking luck of my life!"

'If I had the choice, I'd rather not be human at all than have Leo Sutton for a brother!'

"Fine, fine, fine! You just wait!"

Blood beaded on the scratches covering Leo Sutton's face as he spat a vicious threat at me. "In the future, even if you get on your knees and beg me, I won't so much as glance your way!"

'Him? I'm supposed to get on my knees and beg him?'

I burst out laughing, so hard that tears came to my eyes.

'With Leo Sutton's worthless personality—useless at everything except for partying—where did he get the audacity to spout such nonsense?'

"Perfect. Let's get this straight right now."

I smiled coldly. "From this day forward, I, Lillian Sutton, am cutting all ties with you, Leo Sutton. We'll go our separate ways. And if either of us ever goes back on this and begs the other for help, they're a dog!"

'My mom and I finally have some peace and quiet. Who would want to get tangled up with a scumbag like him again?'

'He can get the hell away from me and stay there!'

Leo Sutton and Ozzy Shaw walked off, muttering curses, while I headed back to my dorm feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

The girls who had been watching the spectacle crowded around me. "Wow, Lillian, you were so fierce! You're an inspiration to us all!"

"You can't be polite with shameless men like that!"

"That was so satisfying! We're with you, Lillian!"

The girls all chattered at once. I just smiled, returned to my room, shut the door, and went back to working on my resume.

'Even though I don't need the money, it's still important to have a real job.'

'Otherwise, what's the point of it all?'

My mom called to ask what was going on. "Lillian, your brother just called me. Did you embarrass him at school?"

"Yeah, he brought Ozzy Shaw over, saying something about how he was going to teach me a lesson."

I briefly explained what had happened and gave my mom a preemptive warning. "You know what kind of person Leo Sutton is. From now on, no matter what he tells you, don't believe him, okay?"

"But he's my son…"

"Mom, he's your ex-husband's son. After all these years, don't you still see that?"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and said in a heavy tone, "Leo Sutton has been close with Mr. Sutton since he was a child. Their tempers and personalities are cut from the same cloth. When have you ever been able to control him?"

"When the family split, he went with Mr. Sutton without a moment's hesitation. You think of him as your son, but does he think of you as his mother?"

"He only knows how to run and tattle to you after I put him in his place. Otherwise, have you ever received a single word of concern from him?"

Leo Sutton's filial piety was reserved exclusively for Mr. Sutton.

My mom and Mr. Sutton argued for twenty years. It was one thing when we were little, but after Leo Sutton grew up, he never once defended his own mother. Instead, whenever they fought, he would get all sullen and blame my mom for not knowing how to pacify a man, for provoking Mr. Sutton.

Sometimes, when he was in a bad mood, he would even join Mr. Sutton in yelling at her.

'What's the use of having a son like that?'

My mom fell silent.

I sighed. "Mom, this home belongs to just the two of us now. Those two couldn't care less if we live or die. Do you understand that?"

"Don't tell me you're thinking of dragging me along to shamelessly beg Mr. Sutton to take you back."

'In any case, I would rather die than go back to the way things were.'

"Never!"

This time, my mom's voice was resolute. "From now on, Mom's only going to live with you. Nothing anyone says will change that!"

"That's right. We'll live a good life, just the two of us. And nothing anyone says will change that."

Hearing her firm resolve, I finally broke into a relieved and gratified smile.

'All my careful planning hadn't been for nothing.'