“Eventually.”
“Eventually?”
He smiled faintly.
“I spent years trying to become someone my father would respect.”
“And now?”
A pause.
“Now I’m trying to figure out who I am when I don’t need his approval.”
The honesty surprised me.
For someone with everything, he sounded like someone searching for something.
Not money.
Not success.
Something else.
“You know,” I said softly, “you don’t seem like someone who needs approval from anyone.”
He looked at me.
“Everyone needs something from someone.”
The words stayed with me long after he left.
—
Two weeks later, Eleanor was preparing to leave the hospital.
Her recovery had gone better than expected.
On her final morning, I helped her gather her belongings while Tristan handled the paperwork.
“You’ll visit me,” Eleanor said.
I smiled.
“You’re not even leaving yet.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
I laughed.
“I’ll visit if I can.”
