Chapter 8 - The Graduation Eve
The night before graduation, I stayed in the guest room of Chloe’s house, surrounded by pizza boxes, rehearsal schedules, and the quiet comfort of people who actually loved me.
My phone had been buzzing intermittently all evening with missed calls and frantic text messages from Brennan. Eventually, I answered.
"Marlowe? Please," Brennan's voice sounded genuinely shaken. "Mom is beside herself. Dad is pacing holes in the living room rug. The police report is causing a massive mess with extended family. Can't you just come home and talk about this?"
"Brennan," I said gently, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "I am done talking in circles where I am expected to apologize for existing. If you want to talk tomorrow after the graduation ceremony is over, you can meet me in the courtyard. But I am not stepping foot back in that house."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. When Brennan spoke again, his voice was thick with suppressed emotion.
"I... I didn't see it," he admitted quietly. "Not really. I just went along with what Mom and Dad said because Talia was always crying. I'm sorry, Marlowe. Truly."
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"Thank you, Brennan," I replied honestly. "That means a lot. But apologies don't undo twelve years of erasure. We can rebuild our relationship, but it's going to be on completely new terms."
"I understand," he whispered.
