She stepped into the role of guardian without hesitation, determined that her brothers would have someone to depend on. Overnight, she went from bride-to-be to mother figure, holding onto hope that she and Elliott could still build the life they’d planned — until his true feelings about her new responsibility began to surface.
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Elliott’s Ultimatum
Once the guardianship was finalized, Elliott’s true feelings surfaced. He suggested she place her brothers into foster care instead of raising them herself.
She refused. “Elliott, I love my brothers. They’re not going anywhere but here with us until they’re adults,” she told him.
His response was blunt: “I’m not raising someone else’s kids. If you don’t send them away, the wedding is off. I’m not running a charity.”
She tried to make him understand what was at stake, insisting her brothers had no one else and that the three of them were all that remained of their family. Elliott didn’t soften. “Either they go, or we’re finished,” he said.
A Calm Reply With a Hidden Condition
Fury rose in her, but she chose not to let it show. Instead of arguing further, she decided there was a better way to respond to Elliott’s ultimatum — one that wouldn’t give him the reaction he expected.
With a calm smile, she answered, “You know what? I think you’re onto something. I’ll follow your advice, but there’s one condition…”
What that condition was, and how Elliott reacted to it, remains to be seen.