ped my lips. It was

ngerously quiet. "You want me to make ar

f feigned sympathy dropped, revealin

r. "You' re nothing but a replacement. A stand-in. Do you have any idea how humiliating

t Liam, who stood bes

dness. Your nauseating devotion. It was

n the large TV mounted on the wall. It was me, years ago, shortly after one of the first surgeri

king, could be heard from off-c

sitated. "I... I

ded. "You are Liam Hayes. You love me.

n of me, repeated the words like a mantra. "I am L

r face. "See? That' s who you are. A puppet. Somet

d scribbled something down. She tore out the check

the past seven years. And for your silence. Now get out of my house. And do me a favor. Go to a pla

at it. My eyes were fixed on a small, colorful object on the bookshelf behind her. It was a l

Without thinking,

!" Jessica shrieked, h

little car before I could. Her fa

' t filled his head with your stupid, sentimental nonsense, he wouldn'

nd smashed it down onto the marble coffee table. The wood splintered, the br

inside m

at her, but at the broken pieces of the toy. I had to sa

y hands scrabbling to ga

a jolt of pain through my ribs. "Still trying to be the good father. He' s dead! He' s gone! An

ly on the broken toy. My fingers cl

n my hand, grinding it into the floor and the sharp woo

uckle in his voice. "It' s just a

e smug, condescending look on his fa

nd," I said, my voice lo

, that' s right. Your name is Noah Miller, isn' t it? Jessica told me all

u know. Like a baby. Begging for the pain to stop. I have videos of that

splinters digging into my palm. This was my breaking point. I was about to surge

e table. She glanced at it, her expression shi

oving the screen in my fa

Aunt M

was simple a

what you did. Yo