Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man - Chapter 58: Chapter 58
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"Your parents went through government channels to reach you. Your sister got mixed up with loan sharks, couldn't pay them back, and attempted suicide by jumping off a building. Your parents are completely devastated and desperate for you to come home."
"I'm still stuck dealing with this Boston conference, but you need to get the team back to campus immediately and file for emergency leave."
Aurelia's grip on the satellite phone was so tight her knuckles went white, her entire body trembling with emotions she'd thought she'd buried forever.
"I understand," she whispered.
The moment she hung up, Aurelia's professional mask cracked completely. She called everyone together with a voice that barely held steady, her hands shaking as she packed.
Isaac watched her fall apart and felt his own heart breaking. During the endless drive back to campus, he kept trying to offer comfort.
"Aurelia, don't jump to conclusions. Maybe it's not as catastrophic as they're making it sound. Your family has a history of manipulating you—this could be another guilt trip to get you back."
His voice was gentle but fierce with protective anger. He'd spent years watching Aurelia build herself up from nothing, and the thought of her toxic family destroying her again made him want to burn the world down.
Aurelia pressed her forehead against the cold window, her reflection showing the scared eighteen-year-old she'd thought she'd left behind.
She didn't speak for the entire eight-hour drive.
Back at campus, Isaac helped her rush through emergency paperwork, his own hands shaking as he watched her systematic breakdown.
"I can come with you," he offered desperately. "You don't have to face this alone."
But Aurelia was already disappearing into herself, retreating behind walls he couldn't breach.
Hours later, she stood outside Rosalia's hospital room, her heart hammering against her ribs.
When she walked in and saw her parents—their hair gone completely silver, their faces haggard with grief—something inside her chest crumbled.
"Dad... Mom..."
Her father's eyes filled with tears the moment he saw her. "Aurelia... my baby girl..."
Her mother launched herself forward, sobbing as she wrapped Aurelia in desperate arms.
"Aurelia, we've been searching for you for four years, praying you'd come home. We're so sorry, so grateful you're here."
Her voice broke completely. "Every single year since you left, your father and I bought you birthday presents—those collector Barbies you used to stare at in store windows, those Disney stickers you'd beg for. We wrote you letters apologizing for everything, hoping someday..."
Her mother fumbled in her purse and pressed a first-class plane ticket into Aurelia's numb hands.
"Remember how you wanted to go to Bali after graduation? We have tickets for tomorrow. Just us three—no Rosalia, no drama. We can finally give you the vacation you deserved."
Aurelia stared at the ticket, her vision blurring as four years of suppressed longing crashed over her.
Her desperate, pathetic need for their love had always been her greatest weakness.
Birthday presents, collector dolls, Disney stickers—these were the holy grail of her childhood dreams.
But every single time, Rosalia had either "accidentally" destroyed them or manipulated their parents into giving them to her instead.
Aurelia had convinced herself her parents just didn't notice her wants and needs. Now she realized they'd known exactly what would break her heart.
"If you knew what I wanted so badly, why did you always choose her over me?" The words came out raw, broken.
Because apologies that come four years too late are worse than no apologies at all.
Her parents' faces went rigid at her question, her father's eyes actually flashing with irritation before her mother squeezed his arm in warning.
"Sweetheart, we made mistakes. We were young parents trying to balance two daughters' needs. You were always so strong, so independent—we thought you didn't need as much attention."
Aurelia pulled away from her mother's desperate grip and walked to the hospital bed where Rosalia lay unconscious, wrapped in bandages like some tragic princess.
"What happened to her?"
Her mother's composure shattered completely.
"Your sister got involved with predatory lenders at Boston College. When the compound interest made the debt impossible to pay, they showed up at our house demanding we sell everything we own."
Tears streamed down her face. "When we said no, she climbed onto our roof and threatened to jump. She's been in a coma for three days."
Through her mother's breakdown, Aurelia pieced together the whole sordid story.
Twenty-two years of spoiling Rosalia had created a monster who expected unlimited funding for her lifestyle. When reality hit, she'd turned to dangerous loans that spiraled completely out of control.
Her mother grabbed Aurelia's hands desperately. "Baby, thank God you came back. Your father and I only had you girls—no sons to help carry this burden. With Rosalia like this, losing you too would kill us."
Her voice turned pleading, manipulative. "Your sister has severe depression now from all the stress. She talks about suicide constantly, and we owe over two hundred thousand dollars. You're so smart, so successful—you have to help us figure this out."
Her father, who'd been silent through the whole conversation, finally spoke with quiet desperation:
"Aurelia, you know what they say—the older sister is like a second mother. You have to help Rosalia through this."
That's when Aurelia's heart finally shattered into irreparable pieces.
She should have known better than to hope they'd changed.
"I'm still stuck dealing with this Boston conference, but you need to get the team back to campus immediately and file for emergency leave."
Aurelia's grip on the satellite phone was so tight her knuckles went white, her entire body trembling with emotions she'd thought she'd buried forever.
"I understand," she whispered.
The moment she hung up, Aurelia's professional mask cracked completely. She called everyone together with a voice that barely held steady, her hands shaking as she packed.
Isaac watched her fall apart and felt his own heart breaking. During the endless drive back to campus, he kept trying to offer comfort.
"Aurelia, don't jump to conclusions. Maybe it's not as catastrophic as they're making it sound. Your family has a history of manipulating you—this could be another guilt trip to get you back."
His voice was gentle but fierce with protective anger. He'd spent years watching Aurelia build herself up from nothing, and the thought of her toxic family destroying her again made him want to burn the world down.
Aurelia pressed her forehead against the cold window, her reflection showing the scared eighteen-year-old she'd thought she'd left behind.
She didn't speak for the entire eight-hour drive.
Back at campus, Isaac helped her rush through emergency paperwork, his own hands shaking as he watched her systematic breakdown.
"I can come with you," he offered desperately. "You don't have to face this alone."
But Aurelia was already disappearing into herself, retreating behind walls he couldn't breach.
Hours later, she stood outside Rosalia's hospital room, her heart hammering against her ribs.
When she walked in and saw her parents—their hair gone completely silver, their faces haggard with grief—something inside her chest crumbled.
"Dad... Mom..."
Her father's eyes filled with tears the moment he saw her. "Aurelia... my baby girl..."
Her mother launched herself forward, sobbing as she wrapped Aurelia in desperate arms.
"Aurelia, we've been searching for you for four years, praying you'd come home. We're so sorry, so grateful you're here."
Her voice broke completely. "Every single year since you left, your father and I bought you birthday presents—those collector Barbies you used to stare at in store windows, those Disney stickers you'd beg for. We wrote you letters apologizing for everything, hoping someday..."
Her mother fumbled in her purse and pressed a first-class plane ticket into Aurelia's numb hands.
"Remember how you wanted to go to Bali after graduation? We have tickets for tomorrow. Just us three—no Rosalia, no drama. We can finally give you the vacation you deserved."
Aurelia stared at the ticket, her vision blurring as four years of suppressed longing crashed over her.
Her desperate, pathetic need for their love had always been her greatest weakness.
Birthday presents, collector dolls, Disney stickers—these were the holy grail of her childhood dreams.
But every single time, Rosalia had either "accidentally" destroyed them or manipulated their parents into giving them to her instead.
Aurelia had convinced herself her parents just didn't notice her wants and needs. Now she realized they'd known exactly what would break her heart.
"If you knew what I wanted so badly, why did you always choose her over me?" The words came out raw, broken.
Because apologies that come four years too late are worse than no apologies at all.
Her parents' faces went rigid at her question, her father's eyes actually flashing with irritation before her mother squeezed his arm in warning.
"Sweetheart, we made mistakes. We were young parents trying to balance two daughters' needs. You were always so strong, so independent—we thought you didn't need as much attention."
Aurelia pulled away from her mother's desperate grip and walked to the hospital bed where Rosalia lay unconscious, wrapped in bandages like some tragic princess.
"What happened to her?"
Her mother's composure shattered completely.
"Your sister got involved with predatory lenders at Boston College. When the compound interest made the debt impossible to pay, they showed up at our house demanding we sell everything we own."
Tears streamed down her face. "When we said no, she climbed onto our roof and threatened to jump. She's been in a coma for three days."
Through her mother's breakdown, Aurelia pieced together the whole sordid story.
Twenty-two years of spoiling Rosalia had created a monster who expected unlimited funding for her lifestyle. When reality hit, she'd turned to dangerous loans that spiraled completely out of control.
Her mother grabbed Aurelia's hands desperately. "Baby, thank God you came back. Your father and I only had you girls—no sons to help carry this burden. With Rosalia like this, losing you too would kill us."
Her voice turned pleading, manipulative. "Your sister has severe depression now from all the stress. She talks about suicide constantly, and we owe over two hundred thousand dollars. You're so smart, so successful—you have to help us figure this out."
Her father, who'd been silent through the whole conversation, finally spoke with quiet desperation:
"Aurelia, you know what they say—the older sister is like a second mother. You have to help Rosalia through this."
That's when Aurelia's heart finally shattered into irreparable pieces.
She should have known better than to hope they'd changed.
End of Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man Chapter 58. Continue reading Chapter 59 or return to Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man book page.