“When she told us you were planning to come out publicly, she warned us it might affect your future prospects.”
I stare at her, incredulous. “Oh, comeon, Mum. It’s the twenty-first century. Whocareswho I sleep with?”
Dad cuts in, voice low and disapproving. “No need for vulgarity, son. Show some respect to your mother.”
Something snaps.
“What’s vulgar about it? Wanting to love and be loved, is that really so offensive to you? What aboutyourrespect for me? You went behind my back. You conspired with someone I trusted. And then, after finding out the truth, you tried to pairme off with some oversexed heiress like I was... I don’t know,property?”
“Enough!” Mum barks, her composure cracking.
“What you do in private isn’t our concern. But do you really think we’re fools? May only confirmed what we’ve suspected for years. The nail polish. The eyeliner. The clothes. And no girlfriends?Please.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything?” I shout. “Why didn’t youask? I’m your son, youronlyson. If you’d supported me, maybe I wouldn’t have spent years living in fear!”
Mum’s voice cuts like glass. Calm. Precise. Unforgiving.
“We didn’t raise you to be gay, Sebastian. We’ve invested too much, our time, our money, our energy, forthis. What you do in the bedroom is your business, as long as you marry a respectable girl and preserve your image.Ourimage. That’s not too much to ask.”
Her words are so cruel, so staggering, that they don’t fully register at first. My brain shields me, numbing the edges to dull the impact. But the echo of them keeps ringing.
I stand frozen, breath caught somewhere between my lungs and my throat, as her final blow lands with perfect, deliberate cruelty.
“After all, you stayed with Maddie for years. Maybe you’re not really gay, maybe you’re bisexual? With a little effort, you might even get Cressida pregnant and give us grandchildren.”
It’s too much. Too calculated. Too heartless. Something inside me breaks.
The emotions I’ve been holding back, fear, anger, grief, surge all at once, a tidal wave crashing through every barrier I’ve built.
I don’t even feel myself falling.
The last thing I see is my father reaching for me, steady, silent, too far away, as the world tips and I plunge into the dark.
REMI
Okay, now I’m officially worried.
I haven’t heard a single word from Sebastian since yesterday afternoon. Not a message, not a call, nothing, ever since he told me he was going to lunch with his parents. And now he’s not even reading mine.
At first, I told myself to be patient. Give him space. Coming out to your parents is no small thing, especially after hiding your sexuality for four years. He needed time. He deserved that. But it’s been too long, and something feels off. Badly off.
I’ve tried to convince myself that there’s a rational explanation. But I know Seb. He’s thoughtful, emotionally intelligent. Even if things went horribly wrong, he’d find a moment to at least let me know he was okay. The silence is screaming at me.
I keep telling myself it’s not the same for me. That I’m not afraid of my own coming out. My mother and Maude will be fine. I know it. They’ve always put our happiness first, especially Mum. She’s made sacrifices I’m only just beginning to understand.
I cared about Maddie. Genuinely. And I’ll always be grateful for what we shared. But the love I feel for Sebastian is… different. Whole. Unshakable. He makes me feel like I’ve finally found the part of myself I didn’t know was missing.
The moment Mum meets him, I know she’ll fall for him, his warmth, his grace, that crooked little smile. She’ll probably be sad for Maddie’s sake, she always liked her, but she’ll understand. She always does.
I just need Seb to come back. I need to see that spark in his eyes, to feel his hand in mine, and hear his voice telling me everything’s okay.
But I can’t wait around anymore. I’ve reached my limit.
Something’s wrong in Stratford. I can feel it in my gut. He was worried about how his parents would react, and now he’s disappeared. If I’d followed my instincts, I would’ve gone with him. But our relationship still doesn’t have a name. I didn’t want to push.
Sebastian is strong. Fiercely self-aware. He’s survived storms that would’ve drowned others. But I’ve also seen the tenderness beneath his surface, the vulnerability that he guards so closely.
And it’s that vulnerability I can’t get out of my head right now.
