So what TJ meant in the last chapter with “let’s go back to how things used to be” w...

So what TJ meant in the last chapter with “let’s go back to how things used to be” was basically to keep Ian as his side bitch while he keeps fighting for his legacy. He knew Ian was dragged back into the gang, and he was willing to take advantage of that, to keep Ian by his side while he continues to deal with the gang.

It shows that despite months of separation, TJ never once considered a life with Ian outside of the gang or considered leaving it. Ian telling TJ to leave and start over from scratch shouldn’t be shocking for TJ after all this time. But of course, they’ve never been compatible, they never wanted the same thing, even after months apart. I understand TJ can’t just leave the gang like that, but the problem is that he truly never considered a life with Ian outside of it. Instead, he was ready to take advantage of Ian’s situation to keep him close. He could have said, “That’s what I want too, but I need more time to deal with this messy situation right now, then after that, we will find a way out” but he never even thought of it.

Also, how selfish of him to tell Ian, “It was easy for you to throw everything away.” It shows yet again that he never had empathy for Ian and never understood how much Ian hated being in the gang or how deeply that life destroyed him mentally.

Anyway, it’s another “nothing-burger” chapter, just more proof that Ian and TJ are never on the same page, despite months of separation. Even Ian choosing TJ now is parallel to when he chose to leave with Jo because he thought TJ had let him go. Now he’s choosing TJ because he believes he can’t have a normal life with someone normal like Jo, since Jo feels “too good” for him, and TJ is what he thinks he deserves.