She avoided my eyes.
That hurt more than the ring.
“Wait,” I said. “What does college have to do with this?”
Dad gave me the expression he used in business meetings when he thought a question had already been answered.
“You don’t need to move away this fall.”
“I already accepted.”
“You can defer.”
“I don’t want to defer.”
Mom finally spoke.
“Avery, nobody is saying never.”
“Never what?”
“Never medicine.”
The words made my skin go cold.
She said one year would not destroy my future.
I could work at the family company.
Elliot and I could spend time together.
If something developed naturally, we could make an announcement later.
I looked at the ring.
“That’s your version of naturally?”
Elliot pushed the box away.
“I didn’t know about this.”
Dad frowned.
“Don’t be childish.”
Elliot’s expression hardened.
“I’m not being childish. You put a ring in front of me at dinner.”
Victor said, “Richard, we need to stop.”
That was when I realized Dad had gone farther than everyone else.
Even his own business partner looked uncomfortable.
I turned to Mom.
“Did you know about the ring?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Did you know Dad planned to tell me I couldn’t go to school?”
“We discussed asking you to reconsider.”
“That isn’t what he said.”
Dad leaned forward.
“We are paying for your education.”
My hands went cold.
There it was.
Not advice.
Leverage.
I had earned a substantial merit scholarship, but my parents had always promised to cover the remaining tuition, housing, and fees.
Because I trusted them, I had never built another financial plan.
