"I'm not suitable?!" Hope showed no sign of backing down. She snorted coldly and stared straight into Hank's eyes.
"Is it because I'm not smart enough? Or because I'm not strong enough?" She stepped closer. "Or is it... because of my mother? Janet..."
At the mention of Janet's name, Hank Pym froze completely, his lips trembling slightly.
His gaze began to dart away, unable to meet Hope's eyes.
After a long while, Pym slowly spoke. "You... you know everything?"
"I know it all." Hope fought back her tears.
"I know that in 1987, she chose to sacrifice herself to save countless lives, shrinking herself down to the subatomic level."
Old Pym slowly covered his face and let out a long sigh, his voice filled with more than twenty years of regret and pain.
"Every day, I relive that moment, Hope."
"She made that decision, and all I could do was watch as she shrank, disappearing completely from my sight."
He walked over to an old photograph. It showed him and Janet in their younger days, both of them smiling brilliantly.
"Losing her... felt like someone had carved out a piece of my heart."
Hank looked at Hope, his tone pleading.
"You look too much like her, Hope. Your eyes, the way you look when you're angry, even the way you speak—they're exactly like Janet."
"I can't let you wear that suit. I can't let you take that risk again. I can't lose you too..."
With Hank Pym's heartfelt confession, the tension between them gradually eased.
Hope's tears finally fell. She walked over to Hank and gently embraced the old man who had been stubborn all his life.
"I'm sorry, Dad... I didn't know you'd been carrying so much alone."
Old Pym gently patted her back, soothing her as he had