His mouth opened, but no answer came.
Finally, he whispered, “Because I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“Of losing my sister. Of making the wrong choice. Of disappointing everyone. And of admitting that I had no idea how to make everybody happy.”
His voice broke.
“I thought I could solve the problem first and explain it to you afterward. I didn’t realize I was making you feel as though our future meant nothing to me.”
I looked away, blinking back tears.
That was the first moment I began to believe he understood the damage he had caused.
The Conversation We Should Have Had First
We stayed at the café for nearly an hour.
Daniel told me more about his mother, about the years following her death, and about the complicated relationship he shared with his sister.
I learned that she had been the one who cared for their mother during the final months of her illness. Daniel had lived in another city at the time, visiting whenever work allowed, while his sister had been present for the difficult daily realities.
