Elliot sat at the dinner table, the same table where arguments had unfolded for years. His mother picked at his choices, his father dismissed his ambitions, and his siblings barely glanced up from their screens. It was always like this—his dreams were too big, his emotions too much, his presence too inconvenient.
He used to fight for their attention, to prove his worth, to show them that he was more than what they saw. But the years had worn him down. Tonight, as his father scoffed at his plans to move away and start anew, something inside him settled. He was done trying.
The next morning, he packed his bags. The weight of guilt tried to hold him back, but the thought of a life where he wasn’t constantly shrinking himself felt like freedom. He left a note—not for explanation, just a simple goodbye.
The bus ride to the city was quiet, his thoughts louder than the hum of the engine. He was scared, but for the first time, that fear wasn’t tied to rejection or loneliness. It was tied to possibility.
Days turned into weeks, and though starting over was hard, it was his. He met people who listened, who laughed at his jokes, who cared without conditions. He built a home, not just in a place, but in the people who chose him just as he was.
One day, he received a text from his younger sister. Just three words: I miss you. He hesitated before replying. He had spent so long wishing his family would see him. Now, he realized, he didn’t need their approval to exist. He replied with a smile, I miss you too, but he knew he was never going back.
He had found something better.
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