“Hey, you wanted to talk- ow!” Nick yells when I punch him on the nose as soon as he is in range. I don’t even bother to dodge the return hit and scream in pain as well. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to knock some sense into you.” I reply, finally setting off the conversation I delayed far too long. Once relieved he didn’t break my nose, I continue. “I thought I could let you be. But I can’t. And though you will probably hate me for this, I can’t ignore it anymore.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” He stands with his arms crossed.
“I have seen how you are right now, Nick. If anything I ever did meant anything to you, please answer me honestly, have you accepted that Daisy’s gone?” The way his entire body freezes at my question is clearly noticeable when his entire body stops even those unconscious activities it is normally involved in.
“What are you trying to say?” The words carry a lethal undercurrent of anger and I know I am risking everything on the line here.
“It has been 20 years since that night, Nick. You said you let her go but did you? Even now, you carry her around with you. That picture of her we found in her obituary is still in your wallet, always close to you. You live in the house that eerily resembles her mansion in the exact place where it once stood. You even have a wife who has quite a resemblance to her. Tell me, how have you moved on from her?”
“You are crossing a line here, Shane. Watch it. Yes, I still have mementos but that doesn’t mean anything. I-“
“That means everything, Nick.” I shout as I interrupt him. “Do you even love Cass? I have seen what you are blind to. The indifference you have to her hurts her more than you know. Annie, YOUR sister and my wife, is the person she comes to for crying her heart out. Do you have any idea how much you’ve hurt her? How badly you’ve destroyed her life?”
The stunned look on his face is masking the anger that still simmers. “I- I never … I didn’t mean to.” He splutters out in defence but the words still carry anger in them. I understand his point though. If someone, even him, tried to get between me and Annie, I would resent the intrusion. But am I getting between him and Cass or him and Daisy?
“The broken hearted rarely do, bud. I am trying to man up for once and tell you what I should have told you a long time ago. She hurts, bro, and you’ve never even tried to soothe her. I tell you now because by the time you return home to that place, she’ll be gone.”
“What!?” He exclaims but hold grab his shoulder before he can move away.
“Listen to me. She should have better. She deserves better. I want you to think hard and make a choice. You have roughly five minutes before she leaves. What would you offer her? The freedom to leave and heal or the promise to change for her, even though she might not be truly who you seek now?” And with those words, I leave him alone in the room, knowing that this moment would decide everything for him now.