' s skull. It was a deliberate cruelty, designed to wou

h his chest, a cold, empty space w

. He' d expertly maneuvered the situation, using his son' s feigned and then real injury to cement

the helmet. The bright blue

o end th

hloe was fussing over Leo on the

oid of the anger that had consumed him m

Is this another one of your tricks, Ethan? Trying to mak

Ethan as if he were a piece of fu

ing he' d planned to give back still in his pocket. It

the guest room a

found it felt like suffocation, washed over him. Not just for the helmet, but for Sarah

tory from an account he didn' t recognize, but the profi

ingly of Leo playing with a new toy. But it w

an. You should be grateful for what you have... I don' t care about some s

d posted it, likely setting the privacy so only Ethan, or a select f

oe felt. To show him he was

ened on the helmet,

ay here. Not a

gas leak, possible explosion ris

ld lose hims

autopilot. He was a firefighter.

the mocking laughter from Ricky'

rew himself into the work, coordinating triage, treating th

he was directing a walking-wounded collection

oughing Leo, pushing thro

onto Ethan. He immediately adopted a look

coughing so much, he can' t breathe!" Ricky cried out, l

cue, a theatric

lor was fine, his breathing unl

A public plea for sympathy,

knot form in his stomach