No one wants you to shatter and fall apart, Elijah.
But see, the difference between me and you in regards to Jeremy and Katherine is that 1. Jeremy killed your brother, not you. You don't wake up at night still remembering him holding a pillow over your face and the sheer terror of thinking your best friend was killing you. You don't remember waking up in a hospital all alone and transitioning on your own because no one knew what was happening. You weren't manipulated by him to betray your friends because he threatened to kill your boyfriend.
And 2. You'd never be expected to call him family, to have anything to do with him. He wouldn't be someone that might bring the person you love happiness. He'd just be that person in the background. Someone you really don't have to worry about or have anything to do with. Because you don't have to invite him to family gatherings or events. He wouldn't try and joke around with you as if everything was okay, knowing full well that if given the chance to change things he'd smother you with that pillow all over again.
So don't.
This isn't about your happiness. It's about me trying to figure out how to deal with Katherine, day in and day out, because she won't be going anywhere because I do care about you. Because I don't want Klaus to just write you off. Because I don't want Henrik to lose a brother.