WHEN YOU'RE CLOSER

CHAPTER 20

"Princess," Dad called from the door. "It's time for you to wake up or else you'll be late." 

I pouted as I forced myself to get up. "Thank you for waking me up, Dad! You're the best!" I shouted for him to hear and I heard him chuckle.

"Your breakfast is ready downstairs, okay? I'll take you to your school." 

"Sure, Dad! I'll just change since I look awful now." 

As I went downstairs to eat my breakfast, my whole family was there eating. Ravi saw me getting down and smiled afterward. 

"Aster! How was your sleep?" he asked excitedly. 

"Fine. Yours?" I asked back. 

"Fine as well," he answered. "Do you want me to fetch you later?" 

I shook my head. "No need, Ravi. I am not a child, okay? I am eighteen years old now, so no need to fetch me." 

"No matter how old you are, you're still my princess." He pouted. 

"Okay, okay. But you don't need to fetch me, hmm? And our school was just a few blocks away from here. I don't even get why you're using your car to go there."  

"What's the point of having a car if I won't use it?" he asked slightly pissed. 

"Yeah? Or you're just too lazy to walk?" I teased him more. 

"Aster, stop teasing your brother too much. He'll cry at any second," Mom said, teasing him. 

"Mom!" Ravi annoyingly called Mom and looked at me suddenly. "Do you have a boyfriend now, Aster?" 

I raised my brows to him. "And why are you asking that?" 

"Because you won't let me fetch you earlier." 

I rolled my eyes at him. "I don't have one and I won't have one. All of the boys at our school were all so eager to get something. And they won't be serious about having a relationship. They are just men who will boost their ego by having many women at their side." 

"I'm glad you knew that." He looked proud. 

"I'm not stupid?" I answered obviously. "They are just boys who want to get under girls' pants." 

They all nod at my statement and just continue eating as we are all going late if we don't. 

"Bye! I love you, Mom! I love you, Ravi!" I bid goodbye and kissed their cheeks.

"Take care, princess!" Mom and Ravi said in unison. 

I smiled widely as I went to the car. Dad opened the passenger door to me. "Be careful with your head." He said and put his hand on my head to protect it. 

"Thank you, Dad." I smiled at him.

"Anything for my princess." He smiled back. He entered the car and said, "Seatbelts on, princess."

"Right," I nod and wear the seatbelt. He started driving to my school and when we arrived, he kissed my forehead. 

"Take care, okay? Text me when you need something. Enjoy your day." 

"Take care, too, Dad." I kissed his cheeks and I got out of his car. 

Everyone calls me a spoiled brat but the truth is I am just spoiled with my family's love for me. I'm just enjoying my life alone since I have no friends. They are bothered by my aura. They took me too dangerous to be with. Some people would try to approach me and make friends with me, yet they all end up getting tired of pretending to be genuine. As I am used to them pretending to care for me, I get more tired of being good to everyone. Maybe being good was something that wasn't for me. I can't take their attitude anymore. As long as I have my family, nothing will matter. 

I have a loving family that makes me content with everything I have. Just the four of us and my world will be at peace. 

Yet... My world changed when my family began to change, too. One night, my parents argued about money. My Mom was addicted to her gambling, while my Dad was too greedy with the money they are having now. Our business became more successful and our wealth was expanding. And they are now training my brother to be like them. 

Suddenly, the home that I was excited to go to, is now a place where I wanted to run away from. 

How could they be obsessed with all of the money they have right now? How did that all happen? I was even more surprised when they all changed how they used to treat me. They were all gentle to me before. They would spoil me with love before. Yet here they are now, calling me a spoiled brat as what other people call me. Is that how they see me too? A spoiled brat? 

I tried my best to talk to them. I told them they shouldn't let money drive them too hard. And it led me nowhere. They got mad at me for saying that. That's when I realized that my parents were blinded by all our wealth. And both Ravi and I were a victim of their blindness. 

Money is indeed a scary thing for people to have. In just a snap, your happy life would change hard. Fuck all our wealth if my family won't be happy.

People look at us as a very successful family. They would see us as a happy family yet they don't have any idea how our family was wrecked. All because of fucking wealth. 

"Isn't this all familiar? Deja vu, right? This happened five years ago, right?" I chuckled. "Five years ago when I beg you to stop pestering Thomas. Don't you remember that? I begged you to stop putting all the blame on Thomas. Yet you were all blinded." I angrily said. 

"Do not mention that man again, Aster." Dad warningly said. 

"What? Is it wrong to mention my husband? Your son-in-law?" I asked sarcastically. 

"Because of him we almost lost it all! We're almost bankrupt because of that man!" 

"Money! Fucking money again! Is that what mattered to you the most? Dad! Wake up! Please! P-please..." My voice cracked. "My husband took all the responsibility that was supposed to be yours! T-Thomas sacrificed for your fucking responsibility! Do you get that, Dad? Thomas died for your business to survive! Fuck that business! Bullshit!" 

Mom slapped me and grabbed my hair tightly. "Don't you fucking curse us, Aster! How dare you? After we raised you with all our money? Don't put all the blame on us! Thomas' death was not our responsibility! He killed himself because of you! If only you hadn't run away from your responsibility, he wouldn't face it all alone! It was supposed to be you who needed to handle our business, but what have you done? Marry that man to get away from us!" 

"My fault?" I asked and laughed. "Now that's my fault? My husband's death was because of me? Yes! Fucking yes! Blame me all you want. I'm so tired of all of this. You didn't even sympathize with his death. You didn't even bother coming to his burial. Even to your daughters' mourning. Even when your daughter died together with them." 

"What them are you talking about?" Mom asked, confusedly. 

"What do you mean, Aster?" Ravi asked, too. 

My tears escaped as I said, "The world's too unfair, isn't it? Taking two people to me that night. That... Thomas killing himself in front of me was not enough that our child was also taken away from me. Thomas died not even knowing that we were having a family that we both dreamt of. H-he was supposed to be a father. How could he end his life? How could he?" 

"Y-you were p-pregnant that time?" Ravi stuttered and I just stared at him. "Answer me!" 

"And what would you do if I was pregnant?  You didn't even mourn for your best friend that night. You didn't even stop him from killing himself." I bitterly said. 

"Y-you had a... m-miscarriage?" Mom asked surprisedly. 

"That night when he killed himself? I was supposed to tell him that I was pregnant. I was... excited to get home, you know? Imagining his happy face when I tell him good news, I hurriedly come home to surprise him. Y-yet... I saw him lifeless, hanging in front of me and the next thing I knew, our baby f-followed h-him. M-maybe he was so excited to meet his father? They both left me. My family l-left me..." I cried so hard that I didn't even care if they were watching me. All these years of hiding it and holding it inside of me were now suddenly getting out.