grayson dolan

About a week has gone by since Ethan and I blew up in each other's faces and I've still be hard at thinking about what to do with my family.

It's come to a point where I think it's best to at least talk to Vivian about what to do and where we should start to make sure our family doesn't suffer in her mistakes.

I've been up since 5am on a Monday morning trying to distract myself from the whole situation. It's been on my mind everyday, day and night, I needed a break, but nothing could get my mind off of my family.

Currently it was around 7:30am and Jordyn and Ethan have been downstairs eating their breakfast together before they both headed off to work.

I rejected eating with them because I felt bad for interfering with their lives. Just because I was feeling like shit didn't mean I had to bring others down as well.

I sat on the couch scrolling through my phone while they were talking quietly and drinking their coffee at the dining table.

"Alright." Ethan stood up while taking one last bite of his toast. "I gotta go to work." He took his plate over to sink and walked back to Jordyn who still sat on a chair.

"Drive safe." She said while Ethan leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the lips. I began to get uneasy on the couch.

"I will. Love you." He put his suit coat on and picked up his phone.

Love you.

That got me. I miss hearing that from my wife. I miss feeling that connection with her. I don't want to throw it away after all of this time.

I stood up off of the couch almost immediately and snatched my phone from the couch. I walked heftily over to my shoes and quickly put them on.

"Grayson, are you okay?" Ethan asked.

"I've gotta go talk to Vivian. I can't just sit silently anymore." I slipped my phone in my pocket and walked towards him again.

Ethan took a deep breath and I knew he was gonna go off on me again. He knows Vivian did some terrible stuff to ruin our family and he knows that it's best for my mental health not to go see her, but I have to.

"Look, I know what you're going to say." I cut him off before he could say anything else. "But I can't just sit here anymore and think about what's going to happen to my family, I have to do something."

"Do you want a ride over?" He looked up at me and I furrowed my eyebrows. "Nothing I say is going to stop you, so rather me pulling you away from Vivian, I'm just helping you get your family back together. You at least deserve that." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Thanks." I looked down at the ground, guilty that I accused him of being an asshole.

I wasn't expecting that...

"Let's go before she heads to work." My brother put his hand on my shoulder and we began to walk down the hallway and into the car.

Ethan started to drive to my and Vivian's home where I haven't been in over a week.

At first the drive was quiet between us two, which I appreciated. He knew I was internally freaking out.

"Do you have any idea what you're going to say?" Ethan asked as we turned into the neighborhood. We really didn't live that far from each other, maybe a ten to fifteen minute drive.

"No." I shook my head. "I just need to be there."

Many thoughts were going through my head, but no sentences were forming. I didn't know what I was going to say or even do. Hopefully her being there in front of me will spark up a conversation. I really need to work this out.

Ethan pulled into the driveway and thankfully Vivian's car was still here. I let out a deep breath and placed my hand on the car door handle.

"Want me to stay here for you?" He asked.

"Stay here for ten minutes, if I don't come back out before, then head to work."

"Good luck, buddy." He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled with his lips.

"Thanks, I'll need it." I tried to lower my anxiety levels by making a small joke, but it didn't work. "Okay." I said to myself and opened the door.

I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants and closed the door. I walked over to the front door and with every step I felt my heart began to feel heavier and heavier, but I kept pushing.

This is something I have to do. I have to try and get my family back together again. I have to take charge in this ugly situation and fix it.

It was now or never.