James pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
Tyler watched his brother’s profile for a moment, then turned his wheelchair slightly, his voice soft and edged with sadness.
“James, have you really forgotten how my mom... how she left?”
Tyler’s mother had been just like Emmy—born into wealth, sheltered her whole life. But after she married into the Nelson family, it didn’t take long for her to fall apart. She tried everything to escape that golden cage—slitting her wrists, swallowing pills. Nothing worked.
Things only started to get better after Tyler was born. But when he was three, she held him tight and jumped from the bridge into the river. By the time rescuers arrived, only Tyler floated to the surface, his little body kept up by his puffy jacket. His mother was gone, lost to the cold water forever.
Tyler still had no idea why she took him with her that day. He only remembered how broken his father was afterward. In the end, though, his dad married the woman the family chose for him—James’s mom.
That house, that family—it could eat a person alive. Without a child to protect her, Emmy would be defenseless. She’d end up just like Tyler’s mom.
James’s eyes darkened, his lips pressed in a hard line. His brother was right. Someone like Emmy would never walk into the Nelson family’s trap on purpose.
He looked over at the old woman in the corner, lost in her VR game. She was waving her hands in the air, muttering, “You little brat, where did you run off to now? Just wait till I get you!” She’d forgotten again. Forgotten that Jamie was gone. In her mind, he was just being naughty, off somewhere far away and refusing to come home.
Her illness was getting worse.
James clenched his jaw, like he was making up his mind about something. He patted Tyler’s shoulder.
“I’ll leave Emmy to you, big brother. I need to change.”
Tyler grabbed his arm, the pain in his eyes quickly replaced by a stubborn resolve.
“I’m already like this. I won’t let you or your wife become the next victims of the Nelson family. Don’t worry—I’ll protect her.”
James nodded his thanks, then hurried inside.

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