"So you see now, Eric?" Gerald exclaimed, his voice steady as he gathered himself from the guilt-ridden spiral. "There's no such thing as right or wrong choices here," he said with finality, his eyes resolute. "If you believe you have to leave for your children's sake, then do it. Run, and don't look back."
He gestured broadly, as though trying to push Eric forward through sheer will.
"Guilt? A sense of duty? You don't need any of that. All that matters now is survival. Yours, and your kids'. You owe no one anything but yourself."
There was no anger in Gerald's voice, only the tired wisdom of a man who had stared too long at the blurry edges of morality.
He was telling Eric exactly what he needed to hear: that it was okay to walk away. That even if it felt like he was abandoning the right path, there might not even be a right path to begin with.
Because in this absurd, merciless world, what was the right thing?
Or rather, was there even such a thing as right or wrong anymore?
