When Love Break Ties

Chapter 9: Abby's Family Secret

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, casting Tokyo in a soft, golden glow. Nathan and Abby sat on the balcony of his small apartment, the city's hum acting as a backdrop to their conversation. It had become a routine of sorts for them—ending their day with quiet moments together, sharing thoughts and experiences. But tonight, there was a different kind of tension in the air, a weight that neither of them had acknowledged yet.

Nathan glanced at Abby, noticing the way her fingers nervously played with the edge of her shirt. She had been unusually quiet since they returned from dinner, her mind clearly elsewhere. He reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. "What's on your mind?" he asked softly.

Abby hesitated for a moment, her eyes scanning the skyline as if searching for the right words. Finally, she sighed and leaned back against the chair, her gaze distant. "I've been thinking about my family," she admitted, her voice tinged with a mix of bitterness and sadness.

Nathan's heart sank. He had heard bits and pieces about Abby's strained relationship with her family, but they had never delved too deeply into it. He knew there were legal issues involved, disputes that had left her feeling betrayed and abandoned. But the specifics remained a mystery to him—until now.

"What about them?" Nathan asked carefully, not wanting to push her but feeling an undeniable curiosity. He could sense that whatever she was about to share was something significant.

Abby sighed again, this time deeper, as if summoning the strength to finally confront the demons she had kept hidden for so long. "I guess it's time I tell you everything," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned to him, her eyes filled with a vulnerability he hadn't seen before. "It's not just that I'm estranged from them. It's more complicated than that."

Nathan nodded, urging her to continue, though his stomach tightened with apprehension. He had grown close to Abby over the past few months, but he sensed that her past was about to reveal a side of her that he hadn't fully seen yet.

"I used to be really close to my mom," Abby began, her voice soft but steady. "She was my best friend when I was younger. We did everything together. But that changed when my dad died. He left us a lot of properties, businesses... and that's when the trouble started."

Nathan listened intently, his heart aching for her as she spoke. He couldn't imagine the kind of pain Abby must have gone through, losing her father and then watching her relationship with her mother crumble. He squeezed her hand tighter, offering silent support.

"My mom remarried about a year after my dad passed," Abby continued, her voice growing more bitter with each word. "And that's when everything went downhill. Her new husband was only interested in money, in my dad's businesses. My mom started siding with him on everything. She turned against me, Nathan. She chose him over me."

Nathan felt a pang of anger on Abby's behalf, though he remained silent, letting her continue her story.

"I tried to fight it at first," she said, her eyes now filled with frustration. "I tried to protect what my dad had built for us. But my mom didn't want to hear it. She said I was being selfish, that I didn't understand her need for happiness. But it wasn't about that. It was about respect, about honoring my dad's legacy. But she didn't care."

Tears welled up in Abby's eyes as she spoke, and Nathan's chest tightened. He had never seen her like this—so raw, so exposed. It was clear that these wounds were still fresh, even though the events had happened years ago.

"I ended up filing a lawsuit against her," Abby said, her voice breaking slightly. "I didn't want to, but I had no choice. She was selling off my dad's properties, his businesses, without any regard for me or my siblings. It was like she wanted to erase everything my dad had worked for."

Nathan's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected that. He knew things were bad between Abby and her family, but a legal battle? That was more intense than he had imagined.

"And now, we barely speak," Abby continued, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall. "The lawsuit is still ongoing. We're in and out of court all the time, fighting over money, properties, things that I never wanted to fight over. But I can't just let her destroy everything."

Nathan felt a deep sense of empathy for Abby as she spoke. He couldn't imagine the kind of betrayal she must have felt, watching her own mother choose a man over her, and then having to fight in court just to protect her father's legacy. It was heartbreaking.

But as Abby's words sank in, Nathan also felt something else—something darker. Her bitterness toward her family, the anger and resentment that had built up over the years, was palpable. And as much as he understood where it came from, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He had always valued family above all else. His own relationship with his parents was far from perfect, but he had never considered the possibility of severing ties with them the way Abby had with her mother.

Still, he remained silent, listening to her story without judgment. He knew this was something she needed to get off her chest.

"I don't even know if I'll ever speak to her again," Abby said, her voice quieter now. "Sometimes I think it would be better if I didn't. She's toxic, Nathan. She's not the person I grew up with. And I've had to accept that. Family doesn't always mean love. Sometimes, it's just a word."

Nathan felt a chill run down his spine at her words. Family doesn't always mean love. It was a sentiment he had never considered before. For him, family had always been synonymous with love, loyalty, and support. But hearing Abby's story, he began to see things differently. Her experience with her mother had been anything but loving. It had been painful, damaging, and destructive.

As Abby leaned her head against Nathan's shoulder, he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. He could feel the weight of her pain, the scars that had been left behind by her family's betrayal. And as much as he wanted to comfort her, to tell her that things would get better, he couldn't shake the nagging doubt that had begun to creep into his own mind.

Was it possible that family wasn't always the safe haven he had always believed it to be? Could the same thing happen to him? Could his own family, the people he had always relied on, become a source of pain rather than love?

The more time Nathan spent with Abby, the more he found himself questioning the values he had grown up with. He had always believed that family was everything, that no matter what happened, they would always be there for him. But Abby's experience had shown him a different side of family—one that was full of bitterness, betrayal, and unresolved conflict.

And the more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder if his own family was as perfect as he had always imagined. His parents had always been supportive, but they also had their own expectations for him, their own ideas of what his life should look like. They had pushed him toward certain career paths, certain goals, and while he had always gone along with it, he couldn't help but feel like he had never truly chosen his own path.

As Abby drifted off to sleep beside him, Nathan stared up at the ceiling, his mind racing. He loved his family, but he couldn't deny that their influence had shaped his life in ways he hadn't fully realized before. And now, with Abby's story echoing in his mind, he couldn't help but question whether his loyalty to his family was as unwavering as he had always thought.

Abby's bitterness toward her family had slowly begun to seep into his own thoughts, planting seeds of doubt that he couldn't ignore. Was he being naive to think that his family would always be there for him? Was it possible that the same kind of betrayal that had torn Abby's family apart could happen to him?

The questions swirled in Nathan's mind, leaving him feeling conflicted and confused. He loved Abby, and he understood her pain. But at the same time, he couldn't shake the feeling that her experiences were changing him, reshaping the way he saw the world—and his own family.

As the night wore on, Nathan found himself lying awake, torn between the love he had for Abby and the deep-rooted values he had always held dear. It was a battle he wasn't sure he could win, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that his relationship with Abby was forcing him to confront truths he had long avoided.

And as much as he loved her, he couldn't help but wonder if her bitterness toward family was starting to become his own.