Toby stood in front of the old house—the one I had once called home. The wooden gate creaked as he pushed it open. Dust swirled in the breeze. The house looked the same, yet… it was lifeless.
He stepped in cautiously, glancing around. Empty.
No laughter. No footsteps.
Just silence.
Behind him, his friend Daniel followed closely. "She's really not here," he whispered. "You sure this is the right place?"
Toby didn't respond. His jaw was clenched, his eyes scanning every corner of the space he hadn't stepped foot in for years.
The memories came flooding back—me and him arguing in this very room, his angry words, my silent tears, and then… the distance that grew.
"She left," Toby muttered. "Without a word."
Daniel frowned. "I mean, can you blame her? You guys haven't spoken in ages."
Toby turned sharply. "I didn't know it would come to this. She… she's my sister."
"Then why does it feel like she's a stranger now?" Daniel whispered.
After making a few calls, they finally gathered information—someone had spotted me leaving for the airport… with a man.
John.
Toby's brow furrowed.Of course! Here's a deeper, more detailed version of the confrontation, starting from when Toby finds out you traveled with a guy—John. The emotion builds naturally from there:
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Chapter Eighteen — Unopened Letters (continued)
"She travelled with a guy?"
Toby's voice cracked just slightly, but he masked it with a scoff, his arms folding tightly across his chest as if to hold himself together.
Daniel sighed. "Yeah. That's what the old neighbors said. No one's seen her since. And no—no one knows who the guy is."
Toby turned away from the gate of the abandoned house. It still looked exactly as it did the day I left. Just colder. More empty. Like it, too, had forgotten how to feel like home.
"She just left," he muttered. "Didn't tell anyone. Just packed up and disappeared?"
Daniel gave him a long look. "You weren't exactly making it easy for her to stay either, remember?"
Toby didn't answer.
Soon after, they made the journey—trailing leads until they arrived at the estate where John lived. It was clear the man wasn't ordinary. The house spoke of status, protection, and security.
The guard let them through after a firm word from inside. They entered.
And there I stood.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw them. Toby, standing tall, cold, unreadable. And Daniel—his eyes softer, searching.
John was a step behind me.
"You really are here…" Toby muttered, almost in disbelief. His gaze swept from me to John. "So it's true. You left with him."
I stepped forward, slow and unsure. "Toby, I—"
He raised a hand, cutting me off. "Do you have any idea what this looks like? Running away with a man like this? Not telling your family anything?"
John stiffened, but he didn't speak. His eyes never left me.
I swallowed hard. "Family?" My voice trembled. "You mean the family that told me I was disrespectful? Unwanted?"
My voice was shaking, not out of weakness—but because of everything I'd held inside for so long.
Toby looked startled, like he hadn't expected those words to come from me.
"You know that's not what we—"
"Then what did you mean?" I cut him off, my voice louder now. "When you said I was no longer your sister? When you said you wouldn't take care of me if anything happened to our parents?"
The air stilled. Even Daniel didn't move.
I stepped forward, anger and pain boiling in my chest. "I waited, Toby. For a text. A call. Anything. But no—you all turned your backs on me. And now that you see me here… standing, breathing, living with someone who didn't abandon me, you suddenly care?"
John placed a gentle hand on my back. I could feel the steady rhythm of his breath, anchoring me.
Toby's lips parted, but no words came.
Daniel looked down, rubbing his forehead.
"You never even asked what made me feel like leaving," I whispered now, my voice falling like broken glass. "You never noticed how I disappeared even while I was still there."
John stepped closer to my side. "She doesn't owe you her presence. Not anymore."
Toby's eyes flicked toward him. "And who are you to speak for her?"
"I'm not speaking for her," John said calmly. "I just didn't leave when she needed someone."
That silenced Toby.
I turned away, not because I was finished, but because I couldn't look him in the eyes anymore. My heart ached, not just from the past, but from the feeling that nothing I said would ever make him see.
"I'm sorry you feel like I betrayed the family," I muttered. "But if saving myself from drowning was betrayal, then maybe I was never part of it to begin with."
Toby shifted slightly. "You're still my sister—"
"No," I said quickly, my voice hard. "You lost that title when you gave up on me."
Tears ran freely down my cheeks now, but I didn't wipe them. Let them fall. Let them speak for all the nights I cried silently into a pillow no one heard.
Daniel stepped forward, swallowing hard. "She's right, Toby… We weren't there."
Toby didn't look at me. His jaw tensed. "I'm… not good at this."
"And I was never asking for perfect," I said bitterly. "Just present."
Silence again.
I felt John's arm wrap around my shoulders, firm but gentle, as if telling me it was okay to stop fighting now.
"I won't force you to understand," I said finally, voice lower. "But I won't let you drag me back into a place that broke me. Not again."
Toby's eyes softened just a little—but it faded quickly, swallowed by pride.
"I'll go," he said at last, turning to the door. "If that's what you want."
"It's what I need," I whispered.
He nodded once, stiffly, and walked out.
Daniel hesitated, gave me a long, guilty look, and whispered, "You didn't deserve any of it." Then followed.
As the door clicked shut behind them, I collapsed into John's arms. He held me tightly, wordless.
And somewhere deep inside, the voice—my conscience—whispered gently:
"You stood your ground. You chose yourself this time."