“And later?”
“Later, I realized your father wasn’t being included in decisions about his own life.”
Elena closed the folder.
“Thank you for coming.”
Margaret looked at her.
“Your father always spoke highly of you.”
Elena smiled sadly.
“He shouldn’t have had to.”
When Elena returned home, Thomas was sitting outside in the garden.
The morning sun warmed the wooden chair beside him.
He looked peaceful.
For the first time since she arrived, he looked like himself.
“Margaret told me some things.”
Thomas nodded.
“I know.”
“You knew?”
“I asked her to keep records.”
Elena sat beside him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Thomas was quiet for a long time.
“Because I was afraid.”
Elena turned toward him.
“Of Julian?”
“No.”
The answer surprised her.
“I was afraid of losing both my children.”
Those words stayed with her.
Thomas continued.
“Your brother has always needed to feel important. After your mother died, he convinced himself he had to become the person who held the family together.”
