He answers on the second ring. "Cody? Is everything alright? When you last phoned, your mother was worried - I was worried, son…”
"Yeah, Dad. Everything's... actually pretty good," I say, surprised by how true it feels. "I just... I wanted to talk. About everything."
There's a pause, and I can almost see him nodding on the other end. "I'm listening, son."
I take a deep breath. "I'm sorry for shutting you out after... after what happened. I was a mess. I didn't know how to handle it, and I thought running away would fix things."
"Cody," my dad's voice is soft, "you don't have to apologize. We understood. We just wished you'd let us be there for you."
"I know," I say, feeling the weight of my choices. "I should've reached out sooner. I've missed you guys."
"We've missed you too, kiddo. More than you know."
I lean against the railing, looking out at the moonlit mountains. "Dad, I... I need to tell you about me, how I’ve really been doing and why I stopped calling."
I can hear him take a sharp breath. "Go on, son."
Slowly, haltingly, I tell him everything. About the accident, about my guilt, about how I've been carrying this burden alone all this time. About how bad it got and how crippling my loneliness felt. When I finish, there's a long silence.
"Oh, Cody," he finally says, his voice thick with emotion. "Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you through this."
"I was ashamed," I admit. "I didn't know how to face you guys."
"You're our son," he says firmly. "Nothing could ever change how much we love you. Nothing."
I feel tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. "Thanks, Dad."
We talk for a while longer, about everything and nothing. Then he says, "So, Maya mentioned something about you and Darcy..."
I can't help but chuckle and roll my eyes even though he can’t see. Maya speaks to them basically everyday of course she’s told them about us. "Yeah, that's... that's a thing now. She's been amazing, Dad. She's helped me start to heal."
"I'm glad," he says warmly. "Darcy's always been a sweet girl. Your mother will be thrilled."
"I was thinking," I say, "maybe we could come visit soon? All of us - me, Maya, Darcy?"
"We'd love that," he replies, and I can hear the smile in his voice. "It's about time we had all our kids under one roof again."
By the time we hang up, I feel lighter than I have in years. When I slip back into bed, Darcy stirs, her eyes blinking open sleepily. "Everything okay?" she murmurs.
I pull her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Yeah," I whisper. "Everything's perfect."
And for the first time in a long time, I truly believe it.
CHAPTER 25
DARCY
I've been scrolling through my camera roll, looking at old photos of Milo and me. It's something I've avoided doing for months, afraid of the pain it might bring. But this morning, something feels different.
I pause on a picture from our last anniversary dinner. Milo's arm is around me, both of us smiling at the camera. I brace myself for the familiar pang of heartache, but instead, I feel... nothing. No anger, no sadness, not even a hint of nostalgia. I stare at Milo's face, trying to summon any emotion at all, but there's only a calm indifference.
Realization washes over me like a warm wave. I'm over him. Truly, completely over him.
I let out a laugh, surprising myself with the joy in the sound. It bubbles up from deep inside, a release of tension I didn't even know I was holding. I'm free.
Standing up, I walk to the mirror and look at myself. There's a brightness in my eyes that I haven't seen in months, maybe years. I look... happy. Excited, even.
I return to my phone, scrolling to Milo's contact information. My thumb hovers over the delete button for just a second before pressing down firmly.
