Grady Memorial Hospital
Atlanta, Georgia...

I never thought I would return to Atlanta after my last encounter with my family. Of course, I knew that I wouldn't be welcomed back to the family unless I was a straight man with a God-fearing woman at my side. But after learning about Dad and Trina's death, I knew that I needed to make my presence known and at least say a proper farewell to the people who all but demanded total perfection out of me.

I could've given them the whole world encased in a crystal ball, and Dad would ask me "Why not the moon and sun while you're at it?"

I could've married a proper woman and given Trina plenty of nieces to spoil and nephews to train to become perfect men, yet she would've just spat in my face without an apology.

Nothing that I did for either of them would be enough.

Back then, I would've just caved in to the demands and just lived in denial before being pushed to end my life. But that would've broken my friends Jana, Ellen, and Alexa's heart because I promised them that I'd never consider suicide. So I kept pressing on and did my own thing. And I was grateful for their companionship during our time in college and for our time in New York to solve Derrick's murder because I had no desire to return to a family who wanted me to assimilate into their world.

And though there were some relatives who had my back before Dad had them turn against me, I knew that there was too much bad blood between me and them.

Now, I was in Atlanta to finally say my piece before leaving the Peach State behind for good. "You okay?" Dr. Boatwright (who had insisted that he would accompany me for moral support) asked me as I pulled up to the parking lot of Grady Memorial Hospital.

I inhaled deeply as I parked the car before shutting off the engine. "I dunno how to feel right now, Doc," I replied honestly. "Right now, I feel like I wanna cry my eyes out, but the tears just won't fall. I left this city and Georgia behind to forge my own path and escape the toxic family values. Now that the main reasons that I left are now dead, I can only imagine where to go from here."

"The only way you can go is forward, Tyler," Dr. Boatwright reminded me. "Just focus on the tasks ahead of you now and everything else will fall into place after that."

I nodded as the two of us got out of the rental car. After walking through the maze-like parking garage and the lower levels of the hospital area, we soon arrived at emergency area where a receptionist was waiting for us. "Are you here for the Chandler family?" she asked me.

I nodded. "My name's Tyler Chandler. I'm the son and brother of the deceased," I said. "Mr. Boatwright is my guest."

The female receptionist nodded, handing me two visitor passes and a clipboard. "Please sign in," she instructed. "Your mother and relatives are waiting for you at your left, my right."

I nodded, handing one visitor pass to Dr. Boatwright while placing the other one on my shirt. "Thanks."

After signing in, we soon met with my mother and two of my uncles. "Tyler," Mom breathed as she wrapped me in a hug. "I'm so glad you are here. I assume that you know what's going on?"

I nodded. "Dad and Trina were in a fatal car wreck along I-75 coming from Stockbridge," I noted. "But what were they doing there?"

Mom sighed as Uncle Patrick patted her back. "They were arranging for you to be kidnapped and placed under conversion therapy," she explained. "And if that didn't work, they were going to have you killed alongside that Oglethorpe guy you went with."

I inhaled sharply. "What?"

Uncle Carter (a detective for the Atlanta PD) nodded, giving me a sad look. "There's something else that you need to know, Tyler," he said. "Your father and Trina had an insurance policy filed in your name to the tune of one million dollars. If you were killed, the money would've gone to them. Not only that, they had somehow gained a lot of money through some illicit drug dealings connected to a case regarding Hugo and Francesca Ortega from Rhode Island."

That was a kick in the gut that I didn't expect. "And this has been going on for how long?" I wanted to know.

"For all we know, it's been going on before you left for New York to solve that Booker fellow's murder with your friends," Mom intoned. She shook her head in dismay. "This has gone on for too long. I should've fought harder to accept you as a gay son, but your father and Trina are too damn alike- stubborn, narrow-minded, and too good for anything that's not aligned with their beliefs."

"I agree," Uncle Patrick (a school-bus driver and part-time mechanic) commented. "Your daddy and sister are one and the same and we needed to stand with you and accept you with open arms, not push you away."

"But why did you stand with him?" I couldn't help but ask. "What made you all be on his side?"

"Because he had some stuff on us," Uncle Carter replied. "The Chandler family's not as squeaky clean as you were told, Tyler. We all have our secrets to hide and your daddy and Trina exploited us to get what they wanted. Your mother was struggling with a drug addiction and was in rehab for the longest."

My glare softened as I turned to Mom. "Oh, God," I said. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I was hooked on heroin for a spell before your father sent me away back in the day," she explained. "That was when you were staying with your grandparents back in eighth grade."

I had remembered about that. Dad and Mom said that they wanted me to get some fresh air and sent me to stay with Grandma Estelle and Grandpa Louis down over in Cordele while Trina was with friends.

"I've been clean since then, but your daddy and Trina all but blackmailed me into doing their bidding," Mom went on. "And kicking you out of the house was one thing that I regretted agreeing with."

"Same for me and Tess when Trina knew of Lila's abortion back in sixth grade," Uncle Carter remarked. "Trina even threatened us with ruining her chances of going to Spelman if we didn't take her side."

I couldn't believe it. "And what about them?" I asked.

Mom sighed. "I dunno if they even had secrets of their own, but I've been hearing rumors of your father sleeping with his own daughter and her boyfriend Troy," she said. "And according to a private investigator, my fears were verified. They were in a three-way affair for six months."

"Scandalous," Dr. Boatwright, who was quiet until now," commented, shaking his head in disdain. "All this time they were casting stones on everyone while they were living in their own sins."

"And I had to pay for it," I scoffed. "Mom, why didn't you tell me about all of this?"

"Because he was threatening to kill me if I did," she explained. "Hell, they blackmailed everyone and threatened us with death if we told you the real reason. According to them, we were worth more dead than alive- even you. They had listed them as our beneficiaries on our insurance policies and would do anything to keep our mouths shut, even putting us down like we were rabid dogs."

Now I understood everything. Dad and Trina were like the modern-day versions of Donald Trump and Jana's late parents and sisters, blackmailing everyone and anyone who didn't play ball with their games. I sighed heavily. "Mom, I'm so sorry for all you went through," I said to her. "But you should've told me about everything. Then again, our lives would've been in danger if you did. It'll take time to forget this, but I can forgive you and the others."

"Thank you, Tyler," Mom breathed. "I understand if you don't plan to move back to Georgia, but I do wanna reconnect with you."

"I'd like that. But I'm staying in Rhode Island. I like it there and I'm rebuilding my life thanks to some amazing friends like my therapist Dr. Boatwright."

"That you are," the man in question said as he faced my mother and uncles. "And if you plan to reconnect with Tyler, you and everyone else will need to finally get things out of the open."

The three adults looked at each other. "We can work it out," Uncle Carter commented. "But there's going to be some relatives who are on Trina and Eric's side."

"Then that's on them," I said. "If their with my father and Trina, then they're against me."

Everyone nodded just as the doctor, a pale and plump young man, arrived. "Tyler Candler and Mrs. Candler?" he asked. "I'm Dr. Sawyer, the man overseeing Trina and Frederick Chandler. I'm here to regretfully inform you that there's no chance for either of them to make it at this case. Too much internal damage and all that. But there's still a chance for survival. Do you want to try to resuscitate them?"

Mom and I looked at each other. "It's really your call," she told me. "Believe it or not, you have power of attorney over them."

My decision was made. "Dr. Sawyer, go ahead and turn off the machines," I said formally. "There's really nothing to be done for them. I won't be handling the arrangements for the funeral since I'll be heading back to Rhode Island today."

"I understand," the doctor replied. "I'm so sorry for your loss, young man."

"We're not," my mother remarked. "To be honest, I'm actually glad that my husband and daughter are dead because they've been ruining so many lives. And regarding the funeral arrangements, let them be buried by the state."

"Mom," I began. "You don't have to do that."

She gave me a pointed look. "I want to," she intoned. "There's some things only God can forgive, Tyler. And for what it's worth, I hope they finally get what they gave."

I nodded. "Then I guess I can go back to Solstice Hearts. I don't wanna see them at this point. Everything that's been said before I left was enough for me."

"Are you sure?" Dr. Boatwright asked me.

"I'm dead sure," I replied. "There's no love lost at this point. Let's go home...to Solstice Hearts."

I wrapped my mother in a hug, promising to call her when I was back home before doing the same to my uncles. Trina and my father made a huge mess of things when it came to my life and everyone else's. And now that their true intentions were revealed, they were going to reap what they've sown in the afterlife.

Farewell, Trina and Frederick Chandler. I hope you've found your peace and prayed to God for forgiveness. After today, I was finally done with Atlanta.

DAMN! Tyler's sister and daddy had some "Gerald and Melania Booker" vibes going on, folks! Well, they're now out of the picture while Mrs. Chandler is ready to make things right like De'Andre's mother. I hope she sticks by her word, folks, because she'll soon be mentioned (or appear) in the final chapters before the end of this story right here.

Anyway, we're heading back to Solstice Hearts and checking in with Jamal as he meets Cameron's parents before he and Cameron themselves enjoy a steamy night in for the first time. Stay tuned!

Media: "Praying" by Kesha.

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