Page 50 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

“Oh, am I hurting your feelings?” Mano sneered. “What about what you did?”

Nick faltered, guilt settling in.

“We had lost our parents… and I needed you,” Mano said, his eyes glistening. “You left me.” He swallowed hard. “I was thirteen!”

Nick looked at him, pain written all over his face.

“You left me there with our aunt… and just disappeared…” The words broke apart as the tears finally spilled over. “So what do you want now?” he asked, quieter. “Now you want to be my brother? Be there for me?” His voice dropped, barely holding.

“It’s too late now… brother.”

Chapter 12

Tears slid down Mano’s cheeks as Nick kept his head bowed. When he spoke, he sounded almost afraid. “It was hard for me too back then. I was young, I didn’t think it through—”

“You were old enough to move to another country on your own!” Mano cut in, locking eyes with him. “So don’t give me that. You thought it through just fine before you left. You wanted to go. You wanted to leave me.”

Nick froze.

Mano’s face crumpled as the tears kept coming. “You didn’t care about me. You just needed someone to blame.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “That’s not true—”

“You were looking at me like you wished it was me instead of them!”

“No!” Nick shouted, shaken. “I never thought that!”

Mano dragged in a breath, but it came out unsteady. His gaze drifted past Nick, unfocused. “I know that if…” His voice dropped, hollow now. “If I hadn’t asked her to take me to see Dad that day… she’d still be alive.” His throat tightened. “Both of them.”

He looked back at his big brother, eyes glassy, shattered. “I know it’s my fault.”

LONDON, ENGLAND

13 YEARS AGO

“Hey! Pass me the ball!” Mano ran across the schoolyard, laughter spilling from his lips as the game carried on around him.

The bell rang, cutting through the noise. Kids scattered instantly. Mano grabbed his backpack, still smiling.

“Mano! Wanna get ice cream? My mom’s buying!”

He turned, shaking his head. “No, thanks. My mom’s waiting for me.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow!”

“Bye!” He ran toward the gate and his face lit up when he spotted her. “Mom!” He threw himself into her arms, and she laughed, hugging him tight.

“How was school, sweetie?” she asked in Greek.

“It was good!”

She pulled back just enough to look at him. “Ready to go home?”

Mano hesitated, then looked up at her. “Didn’t you say you weren’t working today?”

“That’s right, sweetheart. I’ve got the day off.”

His eyes brightened. “Then can we get ice cream? Brian’s mom is getting him some too.”