chime

Not cringy or irritating at all. I am so glad to hear you've found ways back to yourself. I was upset at the end of the book for my own reasons. I am glad the story didn't go the ways ours did. These are our stories to tell, not Brandon's. We get to choose our narrative though and if I can offer some unsolicited (sorry) writing advice, I think you can afford to call yourself something other than "selfish" and "arrogant". Offer yourself some compassion. Would you condemn someone with those words if they told you they had the same story? Maybe you can have remorse, be accountable to your failings, and still forgive yourself.