Elias cleared his throat, a sound like dry leaves skittering across a sidewalk. "You’re here for the reading of the will, I assume. Your mother’s final wishes."
"Some things don't need to change, Julian," Claire replied, not looking up. "Consistency has its merits." matureincest
"The house looks the same," Julian remarked, his voice cutting through the clinking of silverware. Elias cleared his throat, a sound like dry
The evening devolved into a series of pointed jabs and defensive parries. Claire accused Julian of abandoning them when things got hard; Julian accused Claire of being a martyr for a cause that didn't love her back. Elias, meanwhile, remained a spectator to his own children's grief, unable—or unwilling—to bridge the gap he had helped create. "Consistency has its merits
"Money is the only thing that speaks clearly in this family," Elias muttered.