In the end, Khloe couldn't bring herself to be truly ruthless.
Nick had been right—if she couldn't let go, there was no reason to force herself.
She couldn't forgive her mother for abandoning her. She couldn't accept that Barney, as her brother, had colluded with Angela against her. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't simply watch a family member die.
Before coming to the hospital, Khloe had wrestled with herself. Maybe walking away silently would spare her and Barney the awkwardness of facing each other again. But Nick had seen through her thoughts.
He knew what Khloe wanted wasn't decisiveness; she just couldn't untangle the knot in her heart, couldn't persuade herself to confront it.
"Everyone has their faults and struggles," Nick had said. "You don't have to forgive anyone, and you mustn't be hard on yourself."
Her mother's abandonment wasn't forgivable, but it had already doomed her to a life of pain she could not redeem herself from—she had already faced her own reckoning.
Barney was just a mortal, prone to selfishness and blinded by emotion. Khloe didn't need to forgive him out of familial obligation, but she also couldn't let their mistakes trap her.
Nick only wished for her to act in accordance with her own heart.
Her words weighed heavily on Barney, sinking him to the very depths of despair.
Yet, after a moment, he nodded. "I understand. I don't expect you to accept me as family. I won't ask for your forgiveness. I just want you to know that from now on… if you need me, I'll be here. If you don't want to see me, I won't disturb you. Whatever decision you make, I'll accept it."
Seeing Barney's pale face, Khloe felt her heart soften. She exhaled gently.
"Nick and I fly to Swinterland tomorrow. His condition requires systematic treatment. So… you should focus on getting better. Recover as soon as you can."
Barney was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected her to speak like this.
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