Chapter 80: Being good enough

Newton recognized the finality in Selen’s tone and he knew better than to push when she drew that line. He gave her hand one last squeeze before sliding out of the booth.

"Alright. I will let you get to it. But promise me you will rest tonight." Newton said and took his hand out for a handshake, causing Selen to laugh. "I promise," she said with a small smile and shook his hand in agreement. ℯℯ𝑙.

"If I did not have a meeting to get to, I would have stayed with you until you left. But this handshake has to be done, " he said. Selen gave a small laugh and said goodbye to him.

After Newton left, Selen sat alone in the booth, the silence of the empty cafeteria washing over her.

She gathered her things, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked toward the exit doors, wondering if the fragile peace they had found on the beach was just a temporary truce, or the beginning of a completely new Chapter.

Clancy arrived at Selen’s home later that evening. He had still not responded to his family just yet, which was why he came back to see them on the same day. They hung out for a bit, but the kids went to bed early, leaving Clancy to move around in the silence of the home.

The quiet of the house was heavy, a contrast to the chaotic energy from a few minutes ago. Upstairs, the boys were fast asleep, completely worn out from the day’s activities.

In the living room, Clancy stood near the large glass windows overlooking the courtyard, his jacket thrown over the back of a couch. He held his phone in his hand, the screen glowing with his father’s text message.

He had not replied. He was torn.

Part of him felt the pull of the old routine, the unspoken demand of the Avelino family legacy. Another part of him looked around this house, the life he had abandoned and was now desperately trying to wedge himself back into.

And he felt like leaving even for a few days might shatter the fragile peace he was trying to build.

The front door clicked open. Selen walked in. She looked exhausted, her hair slightly tousled from the wind, her body clearly weighed down by the hectic day. All she was looking forward to was her bed.

She stopped when she saw Clancy standing there. "You are still here?" Selen asked, her voice tight, with very little warmth in it. "I thought you said goodbye to the kids and left for your hotel?" she asked.

They were not as close and she and Newton, and not even JK. But she was not going to treat him like a stranger every single day he came into her home just because she was worried about the night at the villa repeating itself again.

"I was going to," Clancy said, keeping his distance. He turned to face her, running a hand through his hair. He slowly walked closer to where she stood and Selen got to look at him properly.

Although he still looked handsome like he usually did, the tiredness was also evident in his eyes. She saw his eyes and they had bags beneath them.

As she turned around to leave, Clancy spoke. "I got a text from my father. It’s the same one he sends every year a few days before my birthday for us to hang out. And my brother keeps hounding me about his request for me being the godfather for my niece this weekend. If I say yes to my dad, I have to fly back to England tonight to make the ceremony as well." he said.

Selen turned around and leaned against the edge of the staircase, crossing her arms. He had followed behind her as he spoke, and they both ended up at the same spot. She stared at him analytically, mapping the hesitation written all over his face.

He had no one else to talk to about it. Or at least no one that he believed would give him unbiased advice. So he found himself talking about it to Selen.

She remembered when they first spoke in her office and how he said he had not spoken to his family in years, from when he found out that they had sent her away. So far, everything he said had shown that the gap in their relationship was more serious than she thought.

"And you are standing in my living room because you have not decided." She stated the obvious. "I do not know if I should go," Clancy admitted, looking away from her.

"Things are... complicated here. The kids are just getting used to me being around. If I pack up and fly to London right now, it looks like I am running back to my old life the second I get tired. Like I am reenacting the past" he said.

Selen let out a deep breath. She walked closer to him, her eyes locking onto his. She was not going to coddle his guilt, but she was not going to let him use the children as an excuse to hide from his responsibilities either.

"You already missed being there for our kids at that point in their lives, why miss another?" she asked rhetorically. Clancy flinched. The words were a direct hit, slicing through his hesitation.

He stared at her, the silence between them stretching tight and uncomfortable.

"The kids did not have you for years, Clancy," Selen continued, "you can not fix that by hovering over them every single second now out of guilt.

But your niece? Your brother? They are asking for you now. If you start slipping away from your family obligations over there because you are hiding out in Spain, you are just repeating the same pattern of locking yourself away when things get complicated." she said.

Clancy looked at her, his jaw tightening. "I’m not hiding." he said stubbornly. "Then prove it," Selen countered sharply.

"Go to England. Face your father. Be a godfather to that little girl. Show up for the people who are actually reaching out to you. Do not use the kids as a shield to avoid dealing with your own family." Selen said.