Annie's breath hitched. 'He's planning to die… quietly.'
The thought terrified her.
Before he could move again, she pulled him into a tight embrace, her arms wrapping around him protectively.
"I've never hated you," she said, her voice shaking. "You were never a burden. You're the reason I kept living."
Her memories flooded back uncontrollably.
The years of neglect. Being called a bastard by other children. Having no father, no protection. The crushing loneliness that once pushed her to the edge.
There had been a time when she wanted to give up on life completely.
But her younger brother, only two or three years old back then, would toddle over to her, pat her hand clumsily, smiling with innocent warmth.
From the ages of three to eight, he followed her everywhere, making her feel loved, making her feel that at least in this broken world, someone was always waiting for her.
She tightened her hold on him. "You saved me. You don't even know how many times you did."
