[Oh right, you haven't been to the attic yet, have you? The trash up there probably hasn't been taken out~ I wonder, with all the noise we made, if your crippled dad could hear it. Maybe he got so mad he woke up on the spot~]
Ice gripped my heart.
I rushed to the attic and threw open the door. A pungent, rotten stench hit me in the face.
I looked at the overflowing trash can by the bed.
One, two, three… too many to count.
The pain in my chest doubled me over. I dropped to my knees beside him, drowning in guilt.
"Dad, I'm sorry. Your son trusted the wrong people. That's why you're like this—why you had to endure this humiliation."
"I'm taking you away. Right now. This home? We don't need it anymore."
I unlocked the casters on his hospital bed and pushed him toward the door—only to find Kyle blocking the doorway, smirking.
"Alex, think I can completely replace you today?"
Before I could answer, he threw himself backward and tumbled down the stairs.
I stood frozen.
He clutched his stomach, groaning in pain, and Serena rushed over. The moment she saw him, her eyes went bloodshot.
"Alex! Have you lost your fucking mind?!"