Father never loved you.’ It was so easy, and he could say it so quickly that no one would be able to stop him in time. But what would that cause? Just another tantrum that Theodore would need to deal with. So, Cedar could spare the effort. Even if he was already prepared to open his mouth to say something that would give his mother a breakdown, he held back. Instead, he focused on what concerned him. “I''m not acting. Maybe you would know that if you had ever paid attention to me in the past twenty years. I have my own feelings and interests too. I may have been a tool for you, but that doesn''t make me less human.”


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    Cedar! What are you saying to me? Are you out of your mind?”


    wonderful.” He had sounded more bitter than he had intended to be.


    You don''t understand it. I like Lucille, and I want to stay with her for the rest of my life. But there is no place for your presence in my life if I want to be with her. Do you know why? Maybe I cared about you in the past. But every time you try to destroy my life just because you resent seeing me happy, I hate you a bit more. And by now, I feel like seeing you never ends with me feeling the need to help you. Instead, I just want to push you away more each time you insult the person I care for.”


    I''m sick of you. I''m sick of you intervening each time I think I can finally be a bit happy. You always find a way to chime in and crush that spark of happiness. Do you hate me that much? I never did anything but serve you, so it doesn''t make sense for you to treat me like this. I lived for you, and you never truly cared. So, you can shut up about love and all of that. I don''t want to see you anymore.” He was aware that he would probably feel horrible about this and regret saying it later, but he was too upset at the moment.