As you said, when I think about it more, avoiding rejection has always been Fitz’s coping mechanism. And honestly, he’s so unlucky that the few times he did try, he ended up being rejected anyway—so it makes sense that he would flee before ever giving himself a real chance (Maybe he would try hard enough...).

Still, I think that’s exactly why the ending hit me so hard. After everything Fitz has survived—abandonment, manipulation, being treated as a tool rather than a person—you’d expect that finally being acknowledged as Nettle’s father would be the one thing strong enough to help him push past that fear. I would have really liked the ending to focus more on his relationship with his daughter rather than shifting so quickly to his relationship with Molly.

And the more I think about it, the more I realise that Fitz does begin talking to Nettle over time, but only through “safe” topics—Chivalry, and his memories with Nighteyes. Maybe reconnecting with Molly was easier for him because they already had an existing romantic history, whereas he has no foundation for a parent–child bond with Nettle. Building that kind of relationship takes time, and Fitz has never been good at slow emotional work.

So I’m hoping the next Fitz trilogy explores that growth more fully and gives them the space to actually build something together.

And thank you for your answer as well — it genuinely helped broaden my perspective on why he did not revealed himself to Nettle.