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So Magnus had suspected what Aleks was suffering fro man in a roundabout way…

It took Aleks a s out His mouth pulled into a frown “I don’t have that,” he repeated “You’re wrong I’ve… I’ve been doing nors since I left Father’s house”

“Yes, you have, and you’ve done an incredible job But PTSD isn’t so to soers are and how to cope—”

“No!” Aleks shouted, then see he was allowed to do “No,” he repeated as his agitation grew “I’ so good…”

I fell silent as he pretty much answered all of my questions with that one statement

He doesn’t want to disappoint his brother

Itfro himself too hard in an effort to make his brother proud

So his brother wouldn’t regret coet him

“Can we please just go, Vaughn?” Aleks asked as he turned away from me and stared out the

“Aleks—”

“Please,” he repeated, his voice sounding hoarse

I sighed and reached out to graze his cheek withthe move and pulled away

So ere back where we’d started before we’d stopped for breakfast

Fuck

Chapter 8

Aleks

I’m sorry, Miss Penny

Aleks, if you’d only been good they wouldn’t have hurt me…

I jerked awake at the sound of Miss Penny’s voice She hadn’t spoken after Brian had left the rooized dozens of times, but she’d never once spoken I’d knohy, of course, butEven when the man who’d worked for Brian had co When Brian had co, he’d ledbathtub and then had tucked me into his bed and told me how much he would have missed me if Miss Penny had tried to takeabout co the nas from Miss Penny’s book and within seconds I’d slipped away today spent building that epic sand castle, I’d fallen asleep on the sand and when I’d awoken, I’d been alone in Brian’s bed

And Miss Penny had still been gone

As the present returned full-force, I tried to catch my breath and ihn’s hand But it wasn’t there