Chapter 411

Chapter 411:

Edward moved from behind Eleanor’s chair. “We were wrong to shut you out, Alexander. When James died, the truth hit us like a tidal wave. Everything you’d said was true. All those years lost because we couldn’t face it.”

“And I couldn’t face you,” Alexander said, his voice tight. “Not after all that time. Not when your reaching out felt like second place. Always second to James, even in death.”

Eleanor wiped tears from her cheeks. “We don’t blame you for shutting us out. We earned that.”

Alexander moved to the fireplace, watching the flames. “Did he tell you before the crash? That he was driving that night years ago? That he was drunk then?”

Eleanor nodded. “Yes. The week before his accident. He’d been carrying that guilt for years. He said he’d tried to tell you too, but you wouldn’t see him.”

“He came to my office,” Alexander confirmed, his back still to them. “I sent him away. Told him it was too late for apologies.”

“And then he died,” Edward said quietly. “And we finally understood the weight you’d been carrying alone all those years.”

Alexander turned to face them. “How did that feel? To know you’d chosen the wrong son? To know your golden boy had been lying all along?”

Edward’s steps were unsteady as he approached his son. “Like dying every day. Like knowing we’d done something that could never be repaired.”

Alexander watched his father approach, his face giving away nothing.

“I’m not asking you to forgive us,” Edward said, stopping a few feet away. “I’m just asking you to know that we’ve lived with our mistake every day since James died. That we would give anything, anything, to go back and change what we did.”

“You can’t,” Alexander said simply.

“No,” Edward’s shoulders slumped. “We can’t.”

Silence filled the room, broken only by the crackling fire. Camille watched the three of them: Alexander, rigid with years of pain; his parents, bent under the weight of their guilt.

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“I built my life without you,” Alexander said finally. “I learned to stand alone. To trust my own judgment when everyone told me I was wrong. In some ways, what you did made me stronger.”

He glanced at Camille, something softening in his expression. “And I found people who believe in me. Who stand by me no matter what.”

“We’re grateful for that,” Eleanor said, looking at Camille with genuine warmth. “That you found happiness despite us.”

Alexander moved to a leather chair, sitting down slowly. It was the first time he’d relaxed his stance since entering the house. “I didn’t come here to punish you. I’ve realized that carrying this anger hurts me more than it hurts you.” His parents remained still, barely breathing, as if afraid any movement might shatter this moment.

“I can’t forgive you. Not yet.” Alexander’s voice grew quiet. “But I think… I think I can learn to. Someday.”

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