CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: THE QUIET ONE ALWAYS KNOWS TOO MUCH

POV: Milo

1:00 PM — I Am So Done

If this family were a reality show, the producers would’ve been arrested by now.

Elena’s crying in the guest room.

Dad’s pretending the conversation with Aaron didn’t nearly gut him.

And Aaron?

He’s walking around like a ghost who knows he’s overstayed his haunting.

Meanwhile, me?

I’m making lunch for four people who refuse to be in the same room for more than seven minutes.

Chicken sandwiches.

Because that’s all we have.

Because someone — cough Elena cough — forgot to buy real groceries again.

1:07 PM — Aaron Enters the Kitchen

I’m slicing tomatoes when he walks in.

"Need help?" he asks.

"Yeah," I mutter. "Invent a time machine. Go back a year. Don’t make out with Dad’s wife."

He flinches.

I don’t apologize.

He still grabs the lettuce.

1:11 PM — The Thing I’ve Never Said

"You know," I begin, voice quieter now, "I’ve been keeping a secret too."

Aaron stops what he’s doing. "About... what?"

"About you. About her. About me."

He waits.

I don’t usually get dramatic. But this one deserves a bit of air.

"I knew," I say finally.

"Knew what?"

"That you two were... whatever you were. I knew weeks before Dad did."

He stares. "How?"

"I’m not an idiot," I snap. "You think I didn’t notice how she smiled when you walked into the room? Or how you stayed up late every time she ’couldn’t sleep’?"

He opens his mouth. Closes it again.

"Why didn’t you say anything?"

"Because I thought you’d stop."

I chuckle bitterly.

"And then I thought maybe you deserved each other."

That one hurts him.

Good.

Then I sigh.

"And finally... I didn’t say anything because I knew if I did, everything would fall apart. Guess what? It fell apart anyway."

1:15 PM — Truth Bomb #2

"I also have a girlfriend," I add.

He blinks.

"I mean, I had a girlfriend."

"Since when?"

"Six months. You never asked. Nobody does."

Aaron shifts uncomfortably. "What happened?"

"She dumped me," I say. "Said she didn’t want to be part of a family that looks like a soap opera. Said I was more emotionally repressed than a closed library."

"Ouch."

"She wasn’t wrong."

1:20 PM — Why I’m Still Here

"You wanna know why I didn’t leave?" I ask.

Aaron nods.

"Because someone had to stay and do the dishes. Someone had to keep the lights on. Someone had to be the grown-up while you and Elena played romantic tragedy and Dad stared at a wall."

Aaron looks down at the counter.

"You’re right," he says. "I owe you."

I shake my head. "I don’t want you to owe me. I want you to fix this. Or at least help me build something that doesn’t suck for once."

1:30 PM — We Sit Together

Lunch is awkward.

Dad eats at the dining table.

Aaron sits at the island.

Elena doesn’t show up.

I pass Dad the mustard. He passes it to Aaron.

We don’t speak much, but we don’t leave.

It’s progress.

In this family, that counts as a miracle.

📘 End of Chapter 36

💬 YOUR TURN!

Milo’s been the glue all along — but even glue breaks.

👇 Comment: Did you expect him to know the whole time?

❤️ Like this Chapter if Milo’s "someone had to do the dishes" speech gave you chills.

🔔 Follow for Chapter 37 — where Elena makes a decision that could unravel everything... or start healing what’s left.