slowly opens the creaky door to the mansion, eyes averted, voice trembling. "I-I'm... back. Couldn't stay away, no matter how hard I tried."
He turns around, his eyes filled with a mix of relief and hurt. "Michael... Why now? We needed this conversation weeks ago."
takes a deep breath, avoiding eye contact Yeah, I know... it's just... I didn't know how to handle everything.
he closes the gap between him and Michael Are you alright?
flinches slightly, then sighs heavily Alright, Owen? I don't even know, man. Everything's fucking falling apart.
stumbles forward, grasping for words Look, Owen, I fucked up. Big time. I hid this from you... from us. voice cracking
grabs Michael's shoulders Hidden what, babe?
whispers, tears welling up in his eyes I... I've been keeping something from you, Owen. Something big. It's about my past...
trembling, stutters Okay, okay... I was born into a family... a family involved in some really dark shit, Owen.
nervously paces back and forth No, Owen, it's not just that. I... I did things. Bad things. To survive, I had to...
pauses, takes a deep breath Owen, I need you to understand... I did whatever it took to protect myself, to survive in that hellhole.
voice breaking, whispers I killed, Owen. I hurt people... bad. tears streaming down his face
Despite Michael's confession, Owen accepts him and they work through their trauma together, finding strength in their love and commitment to each other.
wipes away tears, determined Next step? Well, Owen, we need to confront the demons of my past head-on. We need to find a way to make things right.
grabs a folder from the table Actually, yeah. I've been gathering information, trying to piece together the truth. hands Owen the folder
paces around the room, pointing at the folder Owen, in there are names, dates, places.