Arthur was almost at the main entrance, his briefcase in hand, when Julian caught him in the hallway. The automatic doors whooshed open and closed behind Julian, cutting off the sounds of the bustling city outside. The bright, returning lights made Julian’s face seem even starker, etched with something raw and exposed.
“Dad,” Julian said, his voice catching. He reached out, his hand gently touching Arthur’s arm. “Don’t leave. Not yet.”
Arthur paused, his heart thrumming. He expected another argument, another veiled accusation.
Instead, Julian guided him to a quiet corner near a nurses’ station, away from the passing staff. He took a deep, shuddering breath, his gaze fixed on the polished floor.
“I need to tell you,” Julian began, his voice barely a whisper, “the full truth. About everything.”
He looked up, his eyes shining with unshed tears.
“I always felt like I was living in your shadow, Dad. You, the great Dr. Arthur Pendelton. The principled surgeon. The bioethicist. My moral perfection.”
Julian’s jaw worked, a muscle twitching.
“I hated it. I resented you for always putting the hospital, putting your work, before us. Before me. I thought if I could just achieve something, something big, something that mattered on my own terms… that I could finally prove my worth.”
He ran a hand over his face.
“I got into those investments, the biotech deals. I took bigger and bigger risks, desperate to make my own mark. To be someone you could be proud of, not just the son of a legend. And when it all went south, when I lost everything to those predators, I panicked.”
His voice broke.
“I almost destroyed everything that mattered. Your clinic, your legacy. Maya. All of it. Out of pride. Out of fear.”
Julian looked directly into Arthur’s eyes, his own brimming.
“Can you ever forgive me, Dad? For all of it?”
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