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I’ve been thinking of the outcomes of this story and honestly, I don’t see a classic happy ending for Ian. I think the most believable and powerful ending would be an open one — where Ian chooses to walk away. Not out of hate or rejection, but because he finally needs space to exist for himself.
Jo cares deeply, but we can see him slipping into something more obsessive — trying to understand Ian, to ‘fix’ him, to be the person who saves him. And while his feelings might be genuine, that kind of love can become another kind of pressure. Another gaze Ian has to live under.
Ian has never really belonged to himself. He’s always been someone else’s — the gang’s, TJ’s, even now Jo’s. If he chooses solitude, it might be the first time he makes a choice that’s truly his. Not survival. Not submission. Just… freedom.
Yes, it would be sad. But it wouldn’t be hopeless. It would mean Ian finally taking control of his story. And sometimes, love isn’t enough — especially for someone who doesn’t yet know how to love themselves.
It wouldn’t be a tragic ending. It would be a quiet one. Like footsteps in wet sand that slowly fade, but prove someone was there.