Chapter 24 The last thing I wanted was to make any of them feel uncomfortable. But this conversation needed to happen. Odin and I had agreed to give them space first. A full day. We left the house that morning and didn't come back until late. Just left a short note on the kitchen counter that said we'd be back around eight, and we wanted to talk when we got home. No pressure. No big speech. Just a calm, simple request. We had no idea how they'd react. Or if they'd come down at all. At that point, it was just me and Odin in the living room, sitting in silence. He sat on the couch next to me, tapping his thumb against the armrest like he always did when he was restless but trying not to show it. I sat forward on the couch, elbows on my knees, staring at the clock. The hands moved too slow. I was trying to stay calm, trying to not overthink, but my stomach had been tight all day. I wasn't angry. Not even close. And I hoped to God they knew that. It would make this so much easier if they understood that from the start. We just needed to talk. That was all. There would be no punishment or shame. Just talk. Eight o'clock came. No one had come down. I started to wonder if they were going to avoid us all night. Lock themselves in, pretend nothing happened. Then I heard footsteps. Tripp came down first. My oldest. The one who always tried to keep it together for the others. It hit me harder than I expected to see him like that. His eyes red, face drawn, jaw tight like he was fighting back more tears. He looked tired. Like everything happening right now was too heavy for him to carry. But there was hope in his expression too. Like maybe he wanted this conversation to happen, even if it scared him. I gave him a small, tight smile, trying to keep my voice steady. "Please, sit, Tripp." He gave a quick nod and sat down on the couch across from me. His shoulders relaxed a little, but his face didn't. He didn't say anything. Odin and I stayed quiet while we waited. Ashby and Rhys came next. Neither of them looked at us. Not a glance. Their heads stayed down, and they moved like they were walking into a courtroom. Ashby sat beside Tripp, his jaw clenched. Rhys slumped down next to him, stiff and quiet. "Hey," I said gently. I wanted them to hear that I wasn't raising my voice. That I wasn't coming at them with anger or blame. Neither of them answered, but they both looked up for a second, long enough for me to see how rattled they were. Then their eyes dropped back to their laps. Odin reached over and touched my shoulder, squeezing once. I glanced at him and nodded. I was holding it together. Barely. But I was. Then Bliss and Dash finally came down. She was holding his hand tight, walking close beside him, but not hiding. She was being brave, like always. And even now, she wasn't looking out for herself. Her eyes kept flicking to the boys with a concerned look. She was more worried about them than about whatever might happen to her. I gave Bliss a small smile, hoping it read as reassuring. I wanted her to see that she wasn't in trouble. That none of them were. I just needed to understand. That's all I wanted. "Please," I said again, softer, "sit." Once they were all settled, I leaned back into the couch beside Odin and rubbed my hands together, trying to ground myself before I spoke. "First of all-" I paused, because I noticed Rhys. His head was down. His fists were clenched against his knees, and his shoulders were shaking slightly. I frowned. "Rhys?" He didn't look up. Ashby nudged him roughly and muttered, "Pull yourself together, you pussy." It was the wrong thing to say, but I didn't scold him for it. Not right now. I knew it came from fear, not cruelty. I leaned forward, my elbows on my knees. My voice stayed calm. "Rhys," I said again, "Son...I'm not mad at you. I'm not mad at any of you." He still didn't look at me, but I saw his chin tremble. That was enough. I didn't need him to say anything. Just hearing those words might've been the first moment of relief he'd felt today. I let my eyes drift over to the others. Tripp sat stiff but composed. Ashby was guarded as hell. Dash kept glancing at Bliss like she was the only thing keeping him upright. And Bliss was quiet, protective, watching everyone more than herself. None of them had spoken yet. "I know you all think you did something wrong," I said, not trying to sugarcoat it but also not accusing. "And I'm not saying what happened was simple or easy. But I want you to hear this, loud and clear: I'm not here to punish you. I'm not here to call you names or make you feel worse than you already do. I just want to understand." That made Bliss blink, and she sat up a little straighter. She didn't expect that. "We're not angry," Odin added. "Just concerned. And we need to talk. As a family." Still silence. And I still didn't pressure them. I wouldn't. "Did any of this happen because someone felt pressured?" I asked after a moment. "Was anyone scared, confused, or...hurt in any way?" They all shook their heads. Bliss finally spoke. "No. It wasn't like that. No one forced anything. We just...it happened." I nodded slowly. "Okay. That matters. That's important." I let the words settle for a second before continuing. "I know you probably think we can't understand. But...we can, more than you might think. And I know this probably feels confusing. Maybe even wrong. But you're not broken. You're not bad. You're not disgusting." I looked to Bliss. "And you're not sick in the head." I needed her to know that. Earlier today, she had told me that she felt like something was wrong with her, and that she needed to see a therapist. I didn't want her to think that. She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. The tiniest smile tugged at the corner of her mouth Rhys finally looked up, dried tears staining his cheeks. That was an unusual sight. He was usually the one who kept his emotions to himself. Kept a straight face when necessary and was mostly humorous and sometimes cocky. Whatever things they did made him regret it the most, which was interesting. "You're really not mad?" "No," I said firmly. "I'm not. I'm scared for you. But I'm not mad." "Why scared?" Tripp asked quietly. "Because...things like this, they can cause a lot of pain if they're not talked about. If you carry it around like a secret or a shameful thing, it can hurt you more in the long run. And I don't want that. For any of you." I paused and took a breath. "We just want to know that you're okay. That if this is something you're feeling or exploring...it's not coming from a place of pain. Or trauma. Or confusion." The room stayed quiet, but I felt something shift. The tension loosened just slightly. The air didn't feel so suffocating anymore. They were realizing I was only trying to help them. Good. "I'm proud of you," I said, and their eyes all snapped to mine at once. "For being brave enough to come down here. For letting us talk to you. And I know this doesn't fix everything, but it's a start." I looked at Bliss again. "You especially. You've always tried to protect everyone. I can tell you're trying to protect them now, too. But you don't have to do that. Don't have to feel obligated." She blinked quickly, swallowing hard. "We'll figure it out," I said. "Together. It doesn't have to be today, but one day. We're here when you're ready to talk about it." It was silence once again, then Dash spoke. "Thank you. For not freaking out." I nodded, giving him a tight smile. "Of course." Tripp rubbed his hands on his thighs, and I looked at him, knowing he wanted to say something. His brows furrowed when his eyes met mine, then he asked, "You said you can understand. How?" Odin shifted next to me, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, and his hands clasped together. I glanced at him and sighed, and he gave me a nod. He wanted me to tell them. Shit. I wasn't ready for them to hear the abuse we had to endure when we were younger. Didn't want them to worry. But I knew it would help. It would help them understand why we were able to understand them. I lowered my head and rubbed my neck with one hand. And with my eyes still on the ground, I started talking. It wasn't easy. I'd gone my whole life without telling the truth. To anyone. But it felt like now was the right time. They deserved to know. I told them about our father. About the kind of man he was, how he drank constantly, how the house never felt safe, how the sound of a bottle cap twisting off could only mean terror. I told them how Odin and I had to grow up faster than we should've. How we spent most of our childhood afraid. Not scared of monsters or the dark, scared of our own father. Scared of the man who was supposed to protect us. I didn't give them every graphic detail. But I didn't sugarcoat anything either. They needed the truth. There was no noise in the room. No one cut me off. No one even shifted in their seat. They all just sat there, listening. Faces pale, eyes wide. Every single one of them looked shaken. Odin jumped in at a certain point, backing me up. He didn't say much, just added things here and there whenever my voice cracked. He nodded at the parts that were hardest to hear, his eyes glassy the whole time. His jaw kept twitching, and I knew he was trying not to break. But when he spoke, his voice was steady. Much steadier than mine. And when we finished, silence lingered in the room for a long time. No one said anything. But I didn't expect them to. Then, one by one, they stood up. They didn't say a word. They just walked over to the couch and wrapped their arms around us. It wasn't some light, polite gesture to show how sorry they were. It was full-on, both arms around us, heads resting against our shoulders or necks, hands gripping tight. It was raw, quiet comfort they were giving us. Odin and I sat there in the middle of it, surrounded by them, and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I reached for his hand and gripped it hard, like we used to when we were kids, when that was the only thing that kept us hoping that everything would get better. Then we both cried, and they cried with us. All of them. Our kids. The same kids we spent our whole lives protecting and making sure they would only get the best in life. Now they were standing around us, holding us up. Giving back that same support and protection. We raised them right. Something our father never managed to do, and I was fucking proud of Odin and me for that. Eventually, the hug broke apart. Everyone stepped back, wiping their faces, sniffing, trying to compose themselves. Except Rhys. He stayed beside me, his hand on my shoulder. He was still crying, even if he was trying to keep it together. His eyes moved back and forth between me and Odin like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how. "We promise...we didn't do what we did as some trauma response," he said, voice shaking just a little. "You two...you've only ever treated us with love and respect. You've supported us our whole lives. You made this house feel safe. You broke the cycle. And we're incredibly thankful for that. You should be proud of yourselves." Hearing those words from Rhys meant a lot, and they hit harder than I was prepared for. Rhys had never been the emotional one. He was the one who joked, who teased, who kept his guard up even when everyone else was falling apart. But now, here he was, raw and exposed. Tears running down his face. No sarcasm. No act. Just real emotions. I smiled at him, my hand reaching out to pat his hip gently. "Thanks, son." He nodded. "Of course, Dad." Then he gave me this tight little smile and went to sit back down next to Ashby. The room felt lighter after that. An invisible weight had been pulled off everyone's shoulders. We were still a mess, still sorting through emotions, but we were in it together now. And that mattered. I leaned back with a heavy, relieved sigh. Odin beside me was quiet but calm. His hand still gripping mine. Then Bliss spoke. Her voice was so quiet I barely heard it. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that." She looked heartbroken. Like the thought of us suffering was an unbearable thought. But even then, she wasn't thinking about herself. She was worried about us. Trying to be strong. My girl always carried more than she had to. I looked at her for a while and gave her a soft nod. "It's in the past," I said. "We made it through. We got away from it all. It was hell for a while, but our story didn't end there. We kept going." I looked around the room, at each of their faces, red-eyed and tired but still looking at us with so much love. "And eventually," I said, "we got you guys. And we're grateful every single day that we did." It was quiet again after that. But everything around us didn't feel heavy anymore. It felt safe. We finally let everything out, and for now, I wanted to leave it at that. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!