"For...everything," he says, his eyes pleading. "For putting you through all of this. For being a burden to you."
I shake my head, walking over to sit on the edge of his bed. "You're not a burden, Adam. You're my brother, and I love you. I'm here because I want to be, not because I have to be."
"And... yeah, that's great," he says. "I really appreciate it. But I don't want you putting your happiness on hold for me anymore."
"I'm not—"
"You love that girl, and mom and dad have you stuck here now," he interrupts. "I can tell when you're unhappy, and I can see it in your eyes. Just...just let it go, dude."
I stare at him for a moment, taking in his words. "You're not a burden, Adam," I repeat firmly. "And I'm not unhappy. I'll figure things out with Madison and our parents. But right now, you're the most important thing to me. Okay?"
Adam looks at me skeptically but nods. "Okay."
I give him a small smile, standing up from the bed. "Get some rest. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you."
As I leave the room and make my way back through the quiet halls of the rehab facility, my mind is racing. I know that Adam is right—I can't put my life on hold for him forever. But at the same time, I can't just abandon him here.
I'll give it a week or two...talk to my parents and see how Adam is doing.
And then I'll decide if I'll pursue my own happiness right now or if I'll put it on hold yet again.
Chapter twenty-five
Madison
"It'ssonicetofinally meet you, Madison." I'm sitting in a comfortable office with warm light and cozy furniture, rain coming down outside the window. A middle-aged woman sits across from me, a notebook on her knee and a pen in her hand.
Yeah...I'm finally in therapy.
And I don't feel any better—not yet, anyway.
"It's good to meet you, too," I say, trying desperately to settle into my chair. "Quinn has only good things to say about you."
"That's good to know!" Dr. Nguyen says with a laugh. "Although, you seem friendly enough to lie to me if he had bad things to say."
I snort. "Most people who know me would not say I'm friendly."
"Is that so?" she says. "Why is that?"
I shrug. "I'm uh...not a very nice person, I guess. I've hurt a lot of the people in my life."
"Talk to me about that."
I know I'm being therapized—if that's even a thing—but I let it happen. It's why I'm here, after all. "I..."
I trail off, unsure of where to even start.
But I keep going. "In the past year, I've had major blowouts with my best friend, my father, and even my mom. I don't think I have a good relationship with any of them."
"What were the fights about?"
"It's kind of a long story."
"We've got weekly sessions as long as you need them," she says. "Lay it all out for me, Madison."
So I do.
In that first session, I tell Andrea the basics of everything that's happened with Kylie, my father, and now, my mom. I tell her how Kylie and I used to be so close and how she betrayed me in what felt like the worst way possible...how my dad and I were just forming a relationship when he lied to me for months about sleeping with my best friend.