"It's you! You did this to my brother!" I lost control and shook him. "Give my brother back to me!"
He panic-breathed and opened his mouth without forming words. Tristan suddenly wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Meredith, calm down. This isn't anyone's fault."
Taking advantage of the moment, Hector slipped away.
Tristan still tried to soothe me. "Don't worry. You have me. I'll find the best doctors—"
I wrenched free and slapped him hard across the face. "Tristan, you've disappointed me so much."
For a moment, anger flared in his eyes, then guilt, then a flicker of shame. "If you need to hit or yell, do it to me—but don't take it out on Hillary. She's innocent."
Even now, his first instinct was to protect her. At that moment, I finally saw it clearly—these seven years had been nothing but an illusion.
When they brought my brother out, I followed. In the ward I clutched his cold hand and choked on the words, "Brother... I only have you... don't leave me..."
No matter how I begged, his eyes stayed shut.
...
The next day, Tristan texted that he would arrange a transfer for my brother. I replied once. [You don't need to concern yourself!] Then I blocked him.