Concentrating on her homework after leaving Aaron's place was nearly impossible, so Keeley gave up and decided to spend the night at her childhood bedroom. She desperately needed her dad's advice.

When she unlocked the front door, her father, engrossed in a football game, looked up in surprise. "Honeybun! What are you doing here? I thought you were busy today."

She smiled wryly. "Am I not allowed to visit my favorite person on a day other than Sunday?"

"Of course not; I'm glad you're here."

He muted the TV and patted the couch cushion beside him. She dropped her purse by the door, removed her shoes, and curled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she used to do when she was younger.

Robert had such a calming presence. Simply being near him made her feel better.

"Dad…do you think people really change?" Keeley asked softly.

"Of course. Do you feel like the same person you were five or ten years ago?"

She shook her head. "No…but that's not quite what I meant."

How could she explain without revealing the whole "rebirth" thing? "But what if someone really hurt you, and they don't know or remember it, and now they seem completely different?"

He looked confused. "Different how?"

"Like how they treat you is the opposite of how they used to."

"Is this a real situation or hypothetical?"

Ah, she was too transparent. She didn't like the knowing look he gave her.

"Let's say it's hypothetical. If someone is super cold and distant with you, but doesn't remember doing that because it was a long time ago, and now is relatively warm and caring…did their personality actually change, or is it just a situational thing?"

Her father's eyes twinkled. "Hypothetically, I'd say their personality changed. People can learn from their mistakes."

"But this hypothetical person doesn't know they made a mistake…if that makes sense. It's almost like the person from before and the person now aren't the same, even though they look identical."

Keeley cringed. Her explanation was rambling.

"If they really seem like two different people, why not treat the situation accordingly? It doesn't seem right to punish someone for something they can't remember. Your mother always taught you to forgive those who wronged you, didn't she?"

"Yes," she sighed.

She should have known her dad would unknowingly take Aaron's side. Maybe she'd been unreasonable.

Keeley didn't like how Aaron had pressured her in high school, but his current behavior was different. The problem was the horrible things the original Aaron had done; it truly felt like they were different people.

Was it time to let go of her anger? How could she, when his name still evoked those memories?

"Dad…have you forgiven the man who killed Mom and Kaleb?"

Aaron's actions had slowly destroyed her spirit, allowed Lacy to escape justice for her father's murder, and ultimately contributed to her own demise. She didn't believe any of it was forgivable. It was a sensitive topic, but the closest parallel to her situation in her father's life.

"No," he admitted sadly. "I've been trying, because I want peace. Sometimes I think I've succeeded, but then I'm reminded of what was lost, and the anger returns. Why do you ask?"

"…let's just say the hypothetical victim of this hypothetical person is having the same problem."

Her father ruffled her hair. "Keeley, you don't have to beat around the bush. I know you're talking about yourself. You don't have to tell me who it is or what's going on if you don't want to, but it might help to not keep it bottled up."

She couldn't fool him. "You're too smart for your own good," she said lightly. "I'll be fine; I'm just…really confused."

"Confusion is part of life, as frustrating as it may be. Let's focus on something else for a while. I recorded the 'Survivor' episodes you missed; how about we watch those?"

The Halls had watched reality shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race since losing half their family. There was something oddly comforting about yelling at people making bad decisions on TV.

Tears welled in Keeley's eyes, and she hugged her father. "That would be great. Thanks, Dad."

He put on the first missed episode, and her worries soon faded amidst the island drama. Other people's ridiculous problems somehow made hers seem less significant.

During a challenge—where competitors tried to knock each other's wooden figurines off a platform—things got intense.

"Don't—! Ah, they couldn't hold on. The other team will win," Keeley predicted.

"Probably," her father agreed. "Look, there goes another one."

She was disappointed. She preferred the losing team and felt they deserved the food reward more than the winners.

By the episode's end, her disappointment grew. She liked the woman who was voted off; she just wasn't a strong competitor.

"It's not even halfway through the season, and they've already voted off three people I liked," she complained as her father started the next episode.

"Let's hope it's not like a few years ago when nobody liked the winner. There's still time."

They discussed previous seasons during less exciting parts, where contestants plotted against each other. As fans for twenty seasons, they had plenty of material.

Talking with her dad about something as trivial as a reality TV show helped immensely. Aaron was a distant thought.

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