She whispered:
“What happened?”
“I lost people.”
She covered her mouth.
“My knee was damaged. I spent months recovering. When I came home, I didn’t want to be that guy anymore.”
“The guy who fought?”
“No.”
I looked toward the gym.
“The guy who couldn’t turn it off.”
Claire began crying.
“I thought you were distant because you didn’t love me.”
“I was distant because I was trying to become someone you could love.”
She looked down.
“I was wrong.”
“Yes.”
Behind us, the gym door opened.
Derek stepped outside.
He looked exhausted.
He wasn’t smiling anymore.
“I’ll pay you.”
I turned.
“What?”
“Your half.”
He reached into his pocket.
“I’ll have my accountant contact your lawyer.”
I nodded.
“Fine.”
Derek looked at me.
“I thought you were just some weak guy.”
“I know.”
He swallowed.
“I was wrong.”
I didn’t insult him.
Didn’t threaten him.
I simply said:
“Don’t build your life around proving you’re tougher than everybody else.”
Then I walked away.
Claire stayed behind.
She called my name one last time.
I stopped.
“Cole…”
I turned.
“Is there any chance we can fix this?”
For fourteen years, that question was everything I had wanted.
But hearing it now felt different.
