Chapter 9 - The Last Conversation With JulianJulian eventually pleaded guilty.
He received a sentence for his role in the fraud.
Before sentencing, he asked to speak with me.
I agreed.
We sat across from each other.
“You look happy,” he said.
“I am.”
He smiled.
“I used to think success would make you arrogant.”
“And?”
“I was wrong.”
I looked at him.
“Do you regret leaving?”
He thought for a moment.
“I regret the person I became.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
“No.”
He looked down.
“I lost the best thing in my life because I couldn't stand beside someone stronger than me.”
I didn't answer.
He continued.
“I hope someday you forgive me.”
“I already have.”
His eyes lifted.
“But that doesn't mean I want you back.”
“I know.”
“And it doesn't mean what you did doesn't matter.”
“I know.”
He nodded.
“Then I can live with that.”
We stood.
There was no dramatic reconciliation.
No kiss.
No second chance.
Just two people acknowledging the truth.
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Sometimes closure wasn't about getting someone back.
It was about finally being free of them.
