I closed my eyes. Shook my head.
No. This is just John trying to get what he wants. He’s manipulating you. Don’t let him.
“You think I haven’t moved on?” I challenged.
“You’re afraid to go home.”
“I left that shithole behind a long time ago. I moved to another state and started from scratch, with nothing but the clothes on my back and that shitty Yamaha that broke down every hundred and fifty miles. I built my company from the ground up. I started my own God damn legacy.” I marched back to the door, and John stared at me like he’d expected this. “I married my high school sweetheart. I built a foundation. I—”
“And look how well that turned out for you. She couldn’t put up with your shit, Jakey. She needed out. She ran, just like you did.”
My hands balled into fists at my sides and the broken pieces of glass bit into my skin. Blood trickled out from between my fingers and dripped onto the cold concrete floors of my entranceway. “You should leave.”
John’s eyes widened when he saw the blood. “Jakey, what the hell?”
“I said, leave.” With that, I moved forward, grabbed the door with my bloodied hand, and slammed it in my brother’s face. I locked the deadbolt, pressed my back to the door, and gritted my teeth against the sound of him calling my name on the other side.
“Fine,” John called, “but if you keep this shit up, you really will be alone forever, Jakey.”