Right. That's what bothers me about this entire thing, if I'm honest. I prefer the world where they were closed off to me. It's more comfortable for me to think about never being truly known by them, than to have been loved by people I hardly know.

[Okay, wow, go to therapy? Go to therapy.]

Though, I appreciate that you did find all of that out, and that you drew the same conclusion I was drawing. At least there's closure to that particular thread.