Painted in Fate

Chapter 15: Confronting the Past

The air was thick with tension as Babe stood outside Billy's office. His heart pounded in his chest, the weight of the upcoming conversation pressing down on him. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this, but he knew it had to be done. There was no more running, no more avoiding the truth.

With a deep breath, Babe raised his hand and knocked on the door. The sound echoed in the quiet hallway, and within moments, he heard footsteps approaching from the other side. When the door opened, Billy stood there, his face a mix of shock and something deeper—something that mirrored the pain in Babe's own heart.

"Babe..." Billy's voice was soft, as if he didn't believe Babe was really there.

Babe's eyes flickered with a mix of emotions—anger, hurt, and something even more complex that he couldn't quite name. Without a word, he stepped inside, and Billy closed the door behind him. The silence between them felt suffocating, heavy with unspoken truths.

"I... I wasn't sure you'd come," Billy finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Babe turned to face him, his eyes hardening as he forced the words out. "We need to talk."

Billy nodded, his expression serious. He gestured toward the couch, but Babe remained standing, his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't ready to sit down—not yet. Not when the emotions inside him were boiling over, threatening to consume him.

"Babe, I'm so—" Billy started, but Babe cut him off, his voice sharp.

"Don't. Don't say you're sorry. Not yet. Not until you tell me the truth."

Billy's jaw tightened as he looked down at the floor, guilt written all over his face. He could feel the weight of Babe's gaze on him, the disappointment, the hurt. "I... I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Babe's hands clenched into fists at his sides, his anger flaring up again. "But it did. My family—my entire clan—gone. Because of you."

Billy's breath hitched, and he met Babe's eyes with a mixture of shame and regret. "I know. I know it was my fault, even if I didn't realize it at the time. I thought I was helping you. I thought I was doing something good for your family. But I was wrong."

Babe's heart ached as he listened to Billy's words, but the anger still bubbled beneath the surface. "So that's it? You thought you were helping, but you ended up destroying everything?"

Billy's shoulders sagged as he nodded, his voice trembling. "My uncle... he manipulated me. He made me believe that what I was doing would protect your family. I was just a stupid kid, Babe. I didn't know what I was really doing. I swear, if I had known—"

"You would have what?" Babe snapped, his voice cracking with emotion. "Stopped? Saved my family? Because you didn't, Billy. You didn't stop it. And now they're all gone."

Tears welled up in Billy's eyes as he stepped closer to Babe, his voice thick with emotion. "I was nineteen, Babe. Nineteen and naïve. I trusted my uncle with everything. He was like a god to me. I would've done anything for him."

Babe's throat tightened as he listened, the words cutting deep into him. He had seen this part of Billy's past, had seen the way his uncle had manipulated him, but hearing it from Billy's own mouth made it all the more real.

Billy continued, his voice raw with guilt. "When I found out what I had done, it was too late. By the time I realized the truth, your family... they were already gone. I tried to run to you, to explain, but when I got there..."

Babe's heart clenched as more fragmented memories flashed before his eyes—fire, destruction, and the look of devastation on Billy's face as he arrived too late. It was the same as his dreams, but now the memories were clearer, more vivid.

"I saw you," Billy whispered, his voice trembling. "You were lying there, barely alive, and I... I couldn't save you. You were dying because of me. And you looked at me like... like I was the one who killed you."

Babe's breath hitched as the memory resurfaced. He had been so close to death, his heart breaking as he looked at Billy in his final moments. He had wanted to believe that Billy wasn't to blame, but the evidence had been there, the truth so undeniable that it shattered him.

The room seemed to blur as more memories from their past life flooded their minds. They were no longer standing in Billy's office—they were back in the burning village, surrounded by the remnants of Babe's clan. The heat of the flames licked at their skin, and the scent of smoke filled their lungs.

Babe was lying on the ground, his body weak and broken. He remembered the way his strength had drained from him, the feeling of helplessness as he watched his family fall one by one. And then there was Billy, standing over him, his face twisted with grief and regret.

"I'm sorry," Billy had whispered in the past, his voice filled with anguish. "I didn't know. I didn't mean for this to happen."

And now, standing in the present, those same words echoed through the air, the weight of them crushing both Babe and Billy under the weight of their shared past.

Babe's knees buckled as the memories overwhelmed him, and he sank to the floor, his hands trembling. "I loved you," he whispered, tears spilling down his cheeks. "I loved you so much, and you destroyed everything."

Billy knelt beside him, his own tears falling as he reached for Babe's hand. "I love you, Babe. I've always loved you. Even then. I never meant for this to happen."

Babe didn't pull away, but he didn't return the touch either. He just stared at Billy, his heart torn between the love he still felt and the pain of their past. "I don't know if I can forgive you."

Billy's breath hitched, but he nodded, his voice soft. "I don't expect you to. Not right away. But I'll do whatever it takes to make it right."

The vulnerability in Billy's voice, the sincerity of his words, cracked something inside Babe. He wasn't sure if he could ever fully forgive Billy for what happened, but the part of him that still loved Billy—that still longed for him—couldn't ignore the depth of Billy's pain.

"I need time," Babe whispered, his voice barely audible. "I don't know if I can move past this, but... I don't want to lose you either."

Billy's fingers tightened around Babe's, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Babe let himself lean into the connection between them, even if it was fragile and filled with uncertainty.

The silence between them was filled with raw emotion, but there was a glimmer of hope—just enough to show that maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to heal.

"I'll make this right," Billy whispered, his voice thick with determination. "Whatever it takes, I'll make it right. I won't let you suffer because of me anymore."

Babe looked at him, his eyes filled with tears, but there was a flicker of something else—something softer. "Then start by being honest. No more secrets, Billy. I can't take any more lies."

Billy nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. "No more lies. I promise."