“What do you want,” he finally asks, and that question settles something inside me completely. “I want this over,” I answer, and for the first time he looks genuinely surprised.
“That is dramatic,” he says, trying to dismiss it, but Aaron sets his mug down firmly. “What is dramatic is thinking you can hit my sister and come downstairs like nothing happened,” Aaron replies, his voice controlled but sharp.
Evan straightens and says, “This is not your business,” but Aaron leans back and meets his gaze without hesitation. “It became my business the moment you touched her,” he answers, and silence follows.
I take a breath and continue, because this cannot stop at last night anymore. “This was not the first time,” I say, and Evan’s eyes snap back to mine with something close to panic.
Aaron’s voice drops lower as he asks, “How many times,” and I keep my eyes on Evan when I answer. “Enough,” I say, and that one word carries years of truth I never spoke out loud.
Evan begins pacing, muttering about stress, work, and pressure like those excuses can still reshape reality. “You are overreacting, we can fix this,” he insists, but I shake my head slowly.