Chapter 40

The day arrived, and Nani could feel the cold weight of it, the day his father had asked to meet, the day Nani had vowed to avoid.

Prim could see the way Nani had distanced himself and how cold he was in the days leading up to this moment. She knew, without a doubt, that he would not go. . So, she did the only thing she could think of, she sought out Sky.

She found him at his father's restaurant and explained everything. She pleaded with him to help her get Nani to see their father one last time before it was too late. "I don't want Nani to regret not doing this" she said, her voice trembling as she looked at Sky, desperate for his understanding.

Sky hesitated, torn between wanting to respect Nani's boundaries and not wanting to see Prim hurt. "But... what if it's too painful for him?" he asked quietly

Prim's eyes welled up with tears. "Sky... I know it's hard, but he has to at least try. For himself, if nothing else."

The tears in her eyes struck something deep within Sky, and with a final, reluctant sigh, he agreed to help. "I'll do it" he said softly, his voice full of uncertainty.

When Sky arrived at Nani's office later that day, he immediately noticed the coldness that hung in the air. Nani was already buried in his work, his usual charm and confidence nowhere to be found. Sky, however, wasn't about to let Nani push him away today.

He acted more playful than usual, flashing Nani his brightest smile and almost bouncing up to him. "Nani" he said sweetly, his voice higher than usual. "How about we go somewhere? Just the two of us?"

Nani, suspicious but unable to resist Sky's unusual behavior, raised an eyebrow. "Where?" he asked, already half-sure Sky had something up his sleeve.

Sky took Nani's hand, his grip firm but gentle, pulling him along with a quiet determination. Despite Nani's protests, Sky remained unusually clingy, keeping his hand in Nani's the entire time, guiding him outside and into the car.

As they drove, the world outside blurred by, but Nani's mind was still locked in a cold cage of his own making. Sky's usual energy was dampened by the quiet determination in his actions. It was as if Sky knew something that Nani didn't, but Nani couldn't figure it out.

Eventually, they arrived at a cozy little house, one surrounded by lush plants and blooming daisies. It looked so peaceful, so unlike the chaos in Nani's heart. Sky led Nani to the door, his hand still holding Nani's tightly. As they stepped inside, Nani's heart skipped a beat when he saw the people gathered around his mother, Prim, and a few others. They were all standing near the bed where a figure lay, hooked up to oxygen, barely clinging to life.

The room seemed to freeze around Nani as his world shattered, and all the anger, resentment, and confusion inside him boiled over. He yanked his hand from Sky's and took a step back. With a word Nani quickly walk outside back to the car.

But Sky run after him, quick to wrap his arms around Nani's waist, pulling him into a hug from behind. "I'm sorry for doing this to you," Sky whispered against Nani's ear, his voice full of regret. "But I hope you can forgive him not for his sake, but for your own, Nani."

Nani's body stiffened in Sky's arms, but the warmth of Sky's embrace felt different—comforting, like a lifeline in the middle of a storm. Slowly, against his will, tears started to fall, tracing down Nani's cheeks. His heart thudded painfully in his chest, caught between a desire to run and a need to face the truth he'd been avoiding for so long.

Sky held him tighter, not letting go, not giving Nani the chance to escape this moment. "It's okay. I am right here with you."

Nani still didn't respond. He just stood there, his body trembling slightly in Sky's embrace. The tension in his chest tightened, the weight of years of anger, hurt, and betrayal all crashing down at once. His mind screamed at him to turn away, to walk out of here and pretend none of it was happening, but Sky's warmth and unwavering presence held him in place.

Sky could feel Nani's breathing slow, feel the tears. Sky just stayed, offering silent support, hoping that somehow, his presence could ease the storm that raged inside Nani's heart.

"You don't have to face this alone. I'll be here with you, every step of the way."

Nani closed his eyes, letting the words sink in. He wanted to pull away, to push everyone, especially Sky away but something made him feel like he wasn't alone and he didn't have to face the pain by himself as he did at the airport when his father left the first time.

Nani finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "I hate him... so much, Sky. He left us. He... he chose them over us."

Sky didn't answer immediately, letting Nani vent, letting him say the words he'd been holding in for years.

"I know" Sky said after a pause, his voice gentle but firm. "And it's okay to feel that way. You don't have to pretend everything's fine. But you also don't have to carry that hate forever. It's heavy, Nani. And if you let it, it'll weigh you down for the rest of your life."

Nani turned his head slightly, his cheek resting against Sky's chest. "I don't know how to let it go" he admitted quietly, his voice cracking.

Sky pulled him in a little tighter, his arms warm and strong around Nani. "I don't expect you to figure it all out right now. But you don't have to do it alone. I'm here, and we'll figure it out together, okay?"

Nani's heart thudded softly in his chest, the emotions still raw but starting to feel more manageable with Sky by his side. "Okay" he whispered.

Nani finally let Sky guide him back into the house. As they stepped inside, the room fell into a heavy silence. Everyone made way for them, their eyes filled with unspoken emotions, pity, understanding, sorrow.

When they reached the bedside, Nani's mother placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, urging him to sit. She didn't say a word, but the warmth of her touch told him everything, she was here with him.

Nani slowly lowered himself onto the chair, his hands clenching into fists on his lap as he forced himself to look at the frail figure lying before him. His father once a man who had loomed so large in his childhood memories now looked so weak. His skin was pale, his breaths shallow, the rise and fall of his chest barely noticeable. The sound of the oxygen machine filled the room, a quiet reminder that time was running out.

Prim stood beside him, her hands clasped together tightly. Sky didn't let go of him either, his presence steady and reassuring at his side.

He just stared at the man who had once abandoned them, the man who had walked away and built a new life without them. The resentment, the anger, it was still there, still burning beneath his skin. But beneath all of that, something else crept in. Something unfamiliar.

Regret.

Not for his father but for himself. For all the things he would never get answers to. For all the years lost, all the words left unsaid.

His father's eyelids fluttered weakly before opening just enough to see him. A small, pained smile appeared on his lips. "Nani..." His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. "You came..."

Nani swallowed hard, his throat tightening. "Prim dragged me here" he muttered, his voice stiff, but lacking the coldness he had expected it to have.

A weak chuckle left his father's lips before he coughed, his body trembling from the effort. "That... sounds like her."

Nani's fingers dug into his pants, his mind screaming at him to say something ,anything. But what could he say? That he hated him? That he wished he had never seen him again? Or that, despite everything, seeing him like this so fragile, so close to the end, made the anger inside him feel smaller than before?

His father's gaze softened, his breathing uneven. "I... don't deserve to ask for forgiveness," he rasped, his voice barely holding together. "But I... wanted to see you... before it was too late."

Nani exhaled shakily, closing his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, his father was still looking at him ,hopeful, yet prepared for whatever response Nani would give.

And for the first time in years, Nani didn't feel like a bitter, abandoned child.

He felt like a son who had been hurt, but one who had the power to decide what he would carry with him after today.

His father's voice was weak, trembling with regret. "I am sorry for what I did back then... for making you suffer so much. You didn't deserve that, Nani. I... I am really sorry, son."

Nani's vision blurred as the first tear slipped down his cheek. He clenched his jaw, trying to hold himself together.

His father's tired eyes met his, and in them, Nani saw something he hadn't seen before. Not excuses. Not justifications. Just regret. Just a father who knew he had failed his son.

Despite the years apart, despite the betrayal that had shaped him, Nani was still the same. Still that same boy who had tried to be strong since the day his father walked away.

Still the son who had learned to live without a father, but who had never stopped carrying the hole that abandonment had left inside him.

His father lifted a trembling hand, as if reaching for him, but he was too weak. The sight of it made something inside Nani crack.

For the first time in years, he let himself grieve, not just for the father he lost, but for the childhood that had been stolen from him.

Slowly, hesitantly, Nani reached out, placing his hand over his father's. It was cold, frail, but it tightened around his just enough to let Nani know that, even in his final moments, he was still holding on.

His father's voice was barely above a whisper, fragile like the body that could no longer hold on much longer. "Can I hear you call me... one last time?"

The words refused to come at first. His lips parted, but no sound escaped. He had spent years burying the longing, the pain of wanting a father who had left. Now, being asked to say it again, even just once, felt like ripping open an old wound he had forced himself to ignore.

But as he looked at his father at the tired eyes, the sorrow, the regret, he realized this wasn't for his father alone.

It was for himself too.

Nani took a shaky breath, his vision blurred with tears. Then, in the softest, most fragile voice he had ever used, he whispered,

"Dad..."

And with that final, trembling smile, Nani's father took his last breath, his fingers slowly loosening in Nani's grasp.

For a long moment, Nani didn't move. He just sat there, his hand still holding onto his father's, even though the warmth had already started to fade.

The room was silent, heavy with the weight of farewell. His mother let out a quiet sob, and Prim covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. But Nani, Nani just stared at the hand in his, at the man who had once been larger than life, now lying still, forever frozen in this moment.

Sky squeezed Nani's shoulder gently, grounding him, reminding him that he wasn't alone.

A single tear slipped down on Nani's cheek, followed by another, silent, unbidden, yet unstoppable.

Nani exhaled, his chest rising and falling shakily. He didn't know what he was supposed to feel. Anger? Sadness? Relief? Maybe all of it, maybe nothing at all.

But one thing was certain, he had given his father his final wish.

And with that, the past, no matter how painful, was finally laid to rest.

Sky didn't say anything. He just stayed beside him, his hand never leaving Nani's shoulder, his presence unwavering. A quiet anchor in the middle of the storm raging inside Nani's heart. Sky was here. Still here. And for now, that was enough to keep him standing.