Because I'm scared to say the truth - Landoscar

·Chapter 23·

   Lando stood frozen, the weight of his father's words pressing down on him like an iron vice. The anger radiating from his father's eyes was palpable, and Lando could feel the walls of their home closing in around him, suffocating him. He clenched his fists at his sides, trying to steady his breathing, but the anxiety bubbling up inside him was becoming unbearable.

His father didn't waste a second before launching into his tirade. "You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" he snapped, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "The way you've been acting lately, Lando, it's unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable."

His stepmother stood nearby with her arms crossed, her expression twisted in a sneer. "Honestly, Adam, I've been saying this for years. He's nothing but trouble," she muttered, her voice dripping with contempt. "We should've put a stop to this nonsense ages ago."

   Lando felt a familiar surge of bitterness rise within him. Marisa had never seen him as anything more than a burden, an unwanted addition to the family. From the moment she'd married his father, she made it clear that he was nothing more than a reminder of Adam's past, a complication she'd rather do without.

"It's not nonsense," Lando shot back, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. "And you don't get to tell me how to live my life."

Marisa's lips curled into a mocking smile. "You think you're so grown up, don't you? Running around with that boy, acting like you know better than everyone else. You're nothing but a spoiled brat who's never faced the real world."

"That boy has a name," Lando snapped, his heart pounding. "His name is Oscar, and I'm not going to let either of you destroy what we have."

"Enough," Adam cut in sharply, his voice booming with authority. He turned to Lando, his expression darkening with every passing second. "You will not speak to your stepmother that way."

"She's not my mother," Lando bit out before he could stop himself. "And she's never cared about me, so why should I care what she thinks?

"Because you're still under this roof," Adam growled. "And as long as you're living here, you'll respect Marisa, whether you like it or not."

Lando felt his chest tighten, the familiar rage and hurt bubbling up. "You mean like how she's always respected me?" He glanced at Marisa, who was watching him with a look of pure hate. "She's done nothing but make my life miserable since she moved in. And you've never once stood up for me."

"Why should he?" Marisa interjected, her voice cutting. "You're nothing but a disappointment. Look at you now, throwing away everything for some pointless fling with that boy."

"It's not a fling!" Lando yelled, his voice cracking with emotion. "I love him. And I'm not going to apologize for that."

"Love?" Marisa laughed, the sound hollow and cold. "You don't even know what love is. You're just a confused little boy playing pretend."

Lando felt the sting of her words, felt them cut deeper than he'd ever let on. But he refused to let her see him break. "You wouldn't know love if it slapped you in the face," he shot back. "You're too busy pretending to care about this family while tearing it apart."

"That's enough!" Adam's voice thundered, and the room fell silent. He glared at Lando, his eyes hard as steel. "You will end this foolishness, do you hear me? You will cut ties with Oscar and start acting like the son I raised."

"No," Lando said, shaking his head. "I won't."

Adam's face twisted with rage, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "Then you leave me no choice. You either do as I say or you're out of this house."