Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 515

"Emma, listen to me very carefully," Larson said, his hand firm and steady on her back. "First, a relationship is not a transaction. The concept of ‘repaying' someone doesn't apply. Second, if his so-called ‘sacrifices' were just a way to trap you and control you, then it wasn't a sacrifice. It was an investment. It was a deal. And love is never, ever a deal."

Emma wept against her brother's shoulder. His clear, logical words were beginning to untangle the chaotic knot of guilt in her mind.

"Third, and most importantly," Larson's voice softened with profound sympathy, "Emmie, do you remember what I've always told you? I just want you to be happy. Ask yourself, are you happy right now? He says that without him, you never would have returned to the stage. Emmie, he's wrong. The person who got you back on that stage was you."

His words struck her like a hammer, and she went still.

"It was the pain you endured during physical therapy. The sweat you shed in the rehearsal studio. It was your unwavering courage and determination to stand up again. That's what got you back on stage! Without that, nothing anyone else did would have mattered."

"But…" Emma sobbed, the toxic "truths" Sebastian had drilled into her still fighting for purchase.

"Emmie, you do not have to spend your life repaying anyone's ‘kindness,'" Larson said, his voice gentle but firm. "Your happiness, your feelings—that is the only thing that matters. If all he gives you is pain, pressure, and self-doubt, then what he's giving you isn't love. It's abuse."

Larson's soothing voice slowly began to calm her.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here with you," he murmured, patting her back like he was comforting a small child. "He won't get near you again."

Perhaps it was the accumulated stress of the past few days, but his voice was like a lullaby. Emma's sobs subsided, and she finally drifted off to sleep.

But the moment Larson tried to gently lay her down on the bed, her eyes would fly open, and the demonic, taunting voices would rush back in.

*"Without me, Sebastian, where would you be today?"*

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