Something flickered in Herman's eyes. Regret, maybe. He opened his mouth, about to speak.
But Herbert threw himself into Herman's arms first.
"I don't want to stay here. I'm scared. I want my mommy."
Herman shot me one last sharp, cutting look, then scooped the boy up.
"Think about what you've done. I'm not coming home tonight."
And just like that, he walked out. He didn't glance down. He didn't notice the blood pooling beneath me.
The door slammed shut.
I laughed. I laughed until the tears came again.
Slowly, I pulled myself up and cleaned the mess. I picked up every scattered piece, wiped every surface, until the room looked like nothing had happened.
By the time I crawled back into bed, my phone was ringing. My brother.
"How've you been? When's the wedding? Your little niece even made you a present."
The ache in my chest was unbearable.
Herbert had been a transfer student Herman personally asked me to enroll. Each teacher only had one internal admission slot. Because of that, I'd had no choice but to turn down my brother when he asked me to get Lily Abbott into my class. I gave my only spot to Herbert instead.