It was more than a promotion.
It was proof.
Proof that I didn’t need my family’s approval or support to build something good.
I could stand on my own.
I was standing on my own.
And just like that, things began to shift even more.
Tyler and I started talking regularly, not just about our parents, but about life.
He began freelancing seriously, building a client base instead of coasting on handouts.
He told me, “I think you scared me straight, man.”
He wasn’t wrong.
For years, he’d been in the comfort zone my parents built for him.
But when I confronted them, and when Mom blamed him for fueling my rebellion, he finally saw the strings attached to that comfort.
We became closer than we’d ever been.
He even came over a few times to hang out with Lucas.
The two of them clicked instantly.
