Max had imagined this moment countless times—standing before his sister, demanding answers, releasing all the frustrations he had buried deep within his heart. He wanted to ask why she left, why she never came to see him, why she allowed him to search and struggle alone for so long.
He wanted to confront her about the loneliness, the heaviness, and the silent resentment that had grown quietly in the corners of his heart.
But now that she stood before him, now that her warmth surrounded him again, he realized he could not bring himself to say any of those things.
Was it cowardice?
No.
It was something else entirely.
