“He bought me a car last month. Did he buy you one? No. Because you’re just a problem stuck in that chair.”
Liam made a weak sound—barely louder than a breath.
Something inside me snapped.
In that moment, the businessman vanished.
Only a father remained.
“What the hell are you doing!?” I shouted.
Vanessa spun around.
Her face turned pale instantly.
“Mr. Cole! I—this isn’t what it looks like!”
I didn’t even look at her.
I dropped to my knees beside my son.
When Liam lifted his head and saw me, his eyes filled with tears again—but this time there was something else inside them.
Hope.
“Dad…” he whispered weakly. “I’m sorry… I wasn’t good.”
Those words shattered me.
I felt something break deep in my chest.
“No, son,” I said as my shaking hands worked to untie the ropes. “You did nothing wrong. Never say that again.”
The cords had left deep red marks around his wrists.
Marks that told me this had lasted much longer than a few minutes.
As I loosened the last knot, Liam took shaky breaths.
Then he said something that changed everything.
“Mom’s music box… it broke,” he murmured.
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Vanessa had gone quiet behind us.
“She got mad,” Liam continued softly. “She tied me up… like before.”