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Aaron stares at the key as if it might be radioactive. “I told you how sorry I was, Holl. How badly I feel for going behind your back with JJ. It’s just that you were in such distress. I wanted to do something—anything—to help.”
“I get it, Aaron.” Holly summons a smile. “This isn’t about JJ.”
“Is it Graham? Because things are different now. He’s not allowed over here without clearing it with me first. He won’t have a blank check anymore. And he knows to leave you alone. I’ve set those boundaries in stone.”
“That’s great, Aaron. Honestly, I think it’s what he needs.” She doubts Graham is capable of respecting boundaries, but she doesn’t push. He is not the impetus for her decision. And she had already decided to spare Aaron from learning how his son broke into her car and attempted to blackmail her.
“What then?” Aaron asks.
He looks so defeated that Holly can feel her resolve weakening. She pats the back of his hand. “This is long overdue, Aaron. It’s time we stop repeating history. We both need to move forward with our lives.”
He pulls his hand away from hers. “You said the same when you moved out. But then, after the wheels came off, who did you turn to? Who do you always turn to?”
“You’re right. I did. I do. And I’m sorry. It’s not fair.”
“Fair?” He huffs. “You need me when you’re vulnerable. When you’re in crisis. But then you don’t want me anymore when you’re back on track.”
And you need me to need you. But Holly doesn’t verbalize the thought. There’s no point in hurting him more than she already has. Instead, she says, “I’ll never be able to thank you for how much you supported me through this crisis. Without you, I would’ve gone out of my mind.”
He only stares at the key on the countertop.
“I care about you, Aaron. And I always will. But this… this is something I have to do.”
She stands to leave, but he doesn’t so much as look at her.
“Goodbye, Aaron,” she says, brushing her hand over his back before she walks out the front door.
As Holly crosses the street and gets into her car, she takes stock of her life. Her marriage is finished. Her book deal has been rescinded. Her career is seriously stalled, if not in shambles, while her practice is under ethical review. And she is about to move in with her convalescing ninety-year-old grandfather.
Still, Holly can only smile to herself. She feels freer and more hopeful now than she has in a very long time.
