Chapter 6 - The Conversation We Should Have Had Six Years EarlierRyan arrived early.
We sat outside a quiet Charleston café.
He looked exhausted.
"I don't know where to start."
"Start with the truth."
He nodded.
"I was jealous of you."
I frowned.
"Of me?"
"You were Richard Harmon's daughter."
I stared.
"You had a future guaranteed."
"I built my own career."
"I know."
He looked down.
"But I always felt like I was standing behind you."
"So you stole from my family?"
"No."
He swallowed.
"I convinced myself I was taking what I deserved."
I didn't answer.
He continued.
"Vanessa wasn't the beginning."
I looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I had been planning to take control before I met her."
My stomach tightened.
"So she wasn't the reason?"
"No."
"Then why her?"
"She was willing to help."
I looked away.
"You destroyed six years of my life."
"I know."
"You made me question my own judgment."
"I know."
"You made me believe I wasn't enough."
He began crying.
"I'm sorry."
I studied him.
For years, I had wanted an explanation.
Now I had one.
It didn't make anything better.
But it made something clear.
His choices had never been about my worth.
They had been about his insecurity.
I stood.
"I forgive you."
Ryan looked surprised.
"You do?"
"I forgive you for me."
He nodded.
"But I will never come back."
His face fell.
"I know."
"And that's something you have to accept."
"I will."
May you like
I walked away.
For the first time, I felt no need to look back.
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