Ronan went quiet in his fury until he cursed, "That son of a bitch." Ronan knew Adam's parents abused him. That was how they became friends in the first place; Adam had been his age, and he had seen Adam getting reprimanded (read: hit) by his father. It was why he had insisted on keeping Adam by his side—at first.

He was smarter at six than he was at nearly twenty. "I shouldn't have left," he said, resting his forehead in his hands and fighting the urge to slide down the ladder and head to the kitchens to beat the shit out of Robert Parrish.

"I'm so fucking stupid. I'm sorry, Adam. Fuck. Fuck. You don't deserve any of this shit. You're the best person, and you don't deserve any of it."