Chapter 2

My jaw tightened. The sting of Liam' s words was sharp, but I refused to let him see it. I met his cold, judgmental stare with one of my own.

"I am his sister, Liam. I've been his primary caregiver since our mother died. I think I know what's in his best interest."

"Really?" Liam shot back, his grip on Chloe's arm tightening. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're using a sick child as a bargaining chip to get what you want."

Chloe leaned into him, her expression a perfect mask of worried innocence. "Liam, don't. She's just emotional. This is a big change for her." Her voice was soft, but her eyes, when they met mine, were full of triumphant acid. She loved this, watching Liam tear me down for her.

"I'm not being emotional, Chloe," I said, my voice dangerously low. "I'm being practical. I'm getting my brother away from a toxic environment."

Richard chose that moment to reappear from his study. "Ava, that's enough! You will not speak to your sister that way. Liam is right to be concerned. You're being selfish."

The three of them stood there, a united front against me. The father who enabled the abuse, the stepsister who orchestrated it, and the man I loved who enforced it. The air was thick with my humiliation. I could feel my cheeks burning, but I held my head high. I would not cry. Not in front of them.

Suddenly, a small voice cut through the tension.

"Ava? Are you leaving?"

Ethan stood at the top of the stairs, clutching his worn teddy bear. He looked so small and frail, his skin almost translucent. His big, dark eyes were fixed on me, wide with worry.

My heart clenched. I forced a smile onto my face. "Hey, buddy. No, I'm not leaving without you. We're going to go on an adventure, remember?"

He took a few steps down, his gaze shifting to Liam. A hopeful little smile touched his lips. "Is Dr. Liam coming too? He gives the best checkups."

My breath caught in my throat.

Chloe let out a small, cruel laugh. "Oh, sweetie. Dr. Liam is much too busy for that. He has to stay here... with me."

Ethan' s face fell. He looked at me, then at Liam, his brow furrowed in confusion. "But... Ava loves Dr. Liam. She told me. She said she wants to marry him one day."

The silence in the room was absolute, a dead weight that pressed down on me from all sides. Ethan's innocent words had stripped me bare, exposing the one vulnerability I had guarded so fiercely. I could feel Liam's shocked stare on me, Chloe's venomous delight, my father's irritated embarrassment. The shame was so intense it felt like I couldn't breathe. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

Before anyone could speak, Ethan's face suddenly went pale. He swayed on the step, his hand flying to his chest.

"Ava," he gasped, his voice tight with pain. "It hurts."

I flew to the stairs, my own humiliation forgotten. "Ethan! What's wrong?"

He crumpled, his breath coming in ragged, shallow bursts. His eyes were wide with terror.

"Liam!" I screamed, scooping my brother into my arms. "Do something! It's his heart!"

I turned, expecting to see Liam rushing to help. But he was frozen, his face a mask of shock from Ethan's revelation. Chloe had her hand on his arm, her voice a low murmur in his ear.

"It's probably just a panic attack, Liam," she was saying. "She's worked him up with all this talk of leaving. He just needs to calm down."

"It's not a panic attack!" I shrieked, my voice raw with terror. "Look at him! He can't breathe!"

Ethan's skin was taking on a bluish tint around his lips. His small body was trembling in my arms.

"Liam, for God's sake, you're a doctor!" I begged, my eyes locking with his.

He finally seemed to break out of his stupor, but there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. He looked from Ethan to Chloe, who was still whispering to him, her expression one of calm, manipulative concern. That moment of hesitation felt like an eternity. He was looking to her for guidance, a woman with no medical training, while my brother was dying in my arms.

That hesitation was his verdict. In the most critical moment, when a life was on the line, he chose to believe Chloe over the evidence of his own eyes.

Ethan let out a soft, whimpering sound, and his eyes rolled back in his head. His body went limp.

"Ethan!" I screamed, shaking him. "Ethan, wake up!"

He was unconscious. His chest was still. The world stopped.

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