Chapter 167: Fiona Explodes
"Heh… you don't need me to raise it? Then who's going to? That Haitian bitch who'll run the second she gets her green card?"
Fiona glared at Lip, her voice rising.
"Fuck! Sniqua's not like that!" Lip shot back, arguing fiercely.
"Oh really? Then tell me—what is she like?" Fiona crossed her arms. "A good mother? Don't think I don't know what she used to do! She doesn't even know if the baby in her stomach is yours, Lip! Wake up!"
From an outsider's perspective, Fiona could see things more clearly than Lip ever could.
There was no affection in Svetlana's eyes when she looked at him—only a cold, businesslike indifference.
It was obvious she was using him, probably for a green card.
And Lip, standing there clueless, made Fiona even more anxious.
Everything she feared… had finally come true.
"Fuck you, Fiona! Not everyone is like you—a selfish, profit-chasing bitch!"
The truth was, Lip didn't really care about her accusations toward Sniqua.
What he cared about was that Fiona was rejecting his decision.
Because that made him look stupid.
And his pride couldn't accept that.
"Heh… hahaha…"
Fiona laughed, but it sounded hollow—almost broken.
For a brief moment, she felt like the world might as well just end.
She had never imagined that, in Lip's eyes, she was nothing more than a selfish bitch.
All those years… raising the five of them by herself—what did that even mean now?
Only then did Lip realize he had gone too far.
But his damn pride wouldn't let him take it back.
"So that's what I am to you?" Fiona's expression twisted—half laughing, half crying. No single word could describe the storm of emotions on her face.
Seeing the tears welling up in her eyes, Lip knew he had crossed a line.
But he still refused to admit it.
"Listen, Fiona. I have the right to decide this. I'm the father."
"Even if you don't help, I'll raise this kid myself."
He spoke like he was making a bet—doubling down instead of backing off.
---
"Raise a kid? With what?" Fiona snapped. "You're going to drop out of school? Raise a child by working part-time at my restaurant?"
"You're not blind, are you?"
"Liam is only two years old! Have you forgotten how hard it is to raise him?"
"And Debbie? And Carl?"
"When Carl got sick, I stayed up all night taking him to the clinic!"
"When Debbie had a hernia, I took time off work to take her to the doctor!"
"You've forgotten all of that, haven't you?!"
Fiona's voice shook as she fired question after question at him.
Instead of calming Lip down and making him think rationally about the situation, Fiona's words only fueled his rebellious streak even further.
Why was his decision automatically wrong?
And just because Fiona had raised the five of them, that made her right?
Wasn't raising Carl, Debbie, and Liam so difficult precisely because Fiona wasn't capable enough?
Deep down, that was what Lip truly believed.
If it were me raising a kid, things would never turn out like that.
It had to be said—Lip was incredibly arrogant.
"Yeah! I'm dropping out!"
"Just like you did back then!"
"You raised all of us—I can raise one kid too!"
"I'm not worse than you, Fiona!"
He practically shouted the words, his pride stung by everything she had said.
He couldn't accept the idea that Fiona thought he was inferior to her.
Of course, Fiona had never actually said that.
It was all in his head—pure projection.
"You've only got one year left!" Fiona snapped. "Forget college—are you really going to throw away your high school diploma for a kid that might not even be yours?!"
"You can't be this stupid, Lip!"
She stared at him in disbelief, unable to process what she was hearing.
But Lip didn't waver.
"Whether I have a high school diploma or not doesn't matter to me."
"Don't forget—you never graduated either, Fiona."
That line made Fiona laugh.
But there was bitterness in it—pain, and a deep sense of being misunderstood by her own family.
Were they the same?
She never had a choice.
If she hadn't dropped out to work and support her siblings, they might have starved.
Frank barely did anything except stumble home drunk to sleep.
He never contributed a single dollar to the family.
And Monica?
She came and went like a ghost.
Every time she appeared, she either left behind another child—like Liam—or disappeared again without a trace.
To compare that situation to Lip's choice now…
Fiona didn't even know what to say anymore.
Just as the siblings reached a complete stalemate, William—who had been eavesdropping nearby for several minutes—decided it was time to step in.
Earlier, after Veronica arranged for someone from the law firm to deliver Lip's college admission letter, William had taken it and come looking for Fiona.
He hadn't expected to walk straight into a full-blown argument between the two outside the South Side restaurant.
So he waited.
Letting the tension build… letting the resentment deepen.
Only when things reached their peak did he step forward.
Now—that moment had arrived.
---
"Well, well. What a coincidence—you're both here," William said casually. "Perfect timing. I've got some good news for you."
As he spoke, he pulled out an envelope and handed it to Fiona.
Lip glanced at it—and his heart sank.
His name was on it.
"What the hell is that?" he demanded, staring at William. "Why is my name on it?"
"Of course it has your name on it," William said with a grin. "Congratulations, Lip."
He didn't explain further, leaving Lip completely confused.
---
Fiona, meanwhile, frowned slightly and opened the envelope.
She pulled out the letter and began to read.
"Dear Philip Ronan Gallagher, congratulations—you have been admitted to…"
She froze.
Then quickly looked up at the letterhead.
Chicago Institute of Technology.
"Holy shit!"
Her face lit up instantly with excitement.
She looked at William—then turned to Lip.
But the moment her eyes landed on him…
She remembered what he had just said about dropping out.