Page 173 of Closer

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. All this hate. And for what? Because of some old rivalry? Because of my father’s illness?

John didn’t cause my father’s illness. He didn’t force him to pick up that bottle, to swallow those pills. And he sure as hell didn’t make him hurt Mom or me.

No, that was all on Dad. His demons, his choices.

And as much as it hurts to admit, as much as I want to cling to the fantasy of the perfect father, I know the truth now. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, felt it in the bruises on my skin, the scars on my heart.

But Uncle Marc… He can’t let go. He’s so consumed by his own guilt, his own pain, that he’s let it fester into this all-consuming hatred. Just like with my father.

Sebastian…

A pang shoots through me at the thought of him. At the memory of his arms around me, his lips on mine. At the way, he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

And now I know why. I know what he saw that day, what he did. He saved me. He saved me from my own father.

And Uncle Marc hates him for it. Hates him for being there when he couldn’t be, for doing what he couldn’t do.

It’s not any of their fault.

It’s just… It’s a fucking tragedy. A mess of pain and anger and regret that’s been passed down through generations, poisoning everything it touches.

And I’m caught in the middle of it.

My voice trembles as I speak. “This has to stop. This cycle of blame and anger is destroying us. It destroyed my parents, and it’s gonna destroy us, too, if we don’t let it go.”

Uncle Marc stops pacing, his shoulders slumping.

Landon speaks up. “You should tell her the news.”

Marc snarls at him, but Landon doesn’t back down. “Go on, tell her.”

My eyes flick between them, confused. “What is it?”

“John and I talked and agreed that nothing will stand in the way of you and Sebastian anymore. And it was wrong of us to try to separate you two back then. I’m sorry.”

They made up?

“I also thanked John for saving you that day.” Marc rolls his eyes. “And Sebastian, too. You’re here because of them.”

Despite the lingering hurt, a smile tugs at my lips. Finally, after all these years.

I jump up, throwing my arms around him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Will you eat now?”

I nod against his chest, silent tears staining his shirt, feeling a weight lift off my chest. It’s not gonna be easy, I know that. There’s so much pain, so much that happened. It doesn’t just go away.

But this is a start. A chance for healing, for moving forward.

And Sebastian…

He’s been through so much.

I need to see him. I need to tell him that I know, that I understand. That I forgive him. That I’m grateful.

That I love him. But first.

“I want to go back. To my parents house.”

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