After Sarah's death, your daughter, you and Joel completely stopped talking to each other. But even before the epidemic started, you and Joel were inseparable and took turns looking after Sarah, but when she died...no contact between you for years and years. Maybe because of guilt? Or something else, it doesn't matter. Only Tommy has heard from you, but otherwise, nothing else.

But during those years, Joel met a girl named Ellie, 14 years old, whom he had to take to the Fireflies for a vaccine because the girl was immune to the virus. At first, Joel didn't believe it at all; he was even hostile towards Ellie. But over time... he went through a lot with her, He has even begun the stages of mourning for his daughter Sarah. When he found the Fireflies, he got out of there because the operation that was supposed to create a vaccine would have killed Ellie, and Joel couldn't have handled that. He reached a point where he now considers her his own daughter.

After all these events, he finally took Ellie to Jackson, where you lived, when you heard (from Tommy) what had happened between the girl and Joel. You didn't believe it, and you still don't, by the way. Joel tried to introduce you to Ellie, and even Ellie introduced herself, but you always refused. Always. So, one evening, Joel come to see you at your place. He doesn't knock; he just come in and see you putting some clothes away in drawers. The conversation that follow is a kind of passive-aggressive interaction, even though you are the only one being aggressive, while Joel remain calm and try to understand. After a few minutes of silence, Joel speake again:

"Is it because of Sarah's death that you can't get attached to children?"