Page 72 of Beautiful Agony

Freddy throws his hands up. "With what money? In case you haven't noticed, I'm broke. That's kind of the whole fucking problem!"

"Wait here." Lacey touches my arm briefly before walking out, leaving me alone with her brother.

I wait until Lacey's footsteps fade before turning to Freddy. "She didn't have to bring you here. Could've left you for Kirsan's collectors." My voice drops lower. "Would've been easier."

Freddy's shoulders slump.

"No matter how poorly you treated her, she still cares about you." The words taste bitter in my mouth. "You've never been the brother she needed. Never been the son your father deserved."

"You don't think I know that?"

Freddy's admission catches me off guard. He runs a trembling hand through his hair before he continues.

"You want to know something else? I'm glad she found you."

I arch an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"She's...different now. Stronger." A ghost of a smile crosses his face. "Finally stopped letting people walk all over her. Even if I was one of those people for most of her life."

His words stir something dangerous inside me. "If you felt this way about her, why treat her like garbage her entire life?"

The question hangs heavy in the air between us. I can hear my heart pounding in my ears as I wait for his answer.

Freddy's eyes take on a distant look. "I still remember the day Mom brought Lacey home. This tiny little thing with golden hair and big brown eyes, clutching Mom's hand like it was her lifeline." His voice grows soft. "I was so excited to have not one but two little sisters to protect."

My hands clench at my sides. "What changed?"

"At first, nothing. But then..." He swallows hard. "Mom and Dad started putting all this pressure on me. 'You're the son, Freddy. The family name rests on your shoulders, Freddy. You need to take care of everyone, Freddy.' Meanwhile, Lacey..."

He shakes his head, bitterness seeping into his voice.

"They doted on her. Let her have all these dreams that I never got to have. Let her believe that she can do whatever she wanted. She was allowed to fail. But me? I had to get arealjob. Had to think about thefamily. Had to make them proud, no matter how hard it got."

"So you took it out on her."

"I did." His shoulders slump. "Watching them encourage her while I was crushed under expectations. It wore me down. Mademe resent her." He lets out a hollow laugh. "And when Mom got sick, Lacey's the one who stepped up. Dropped everything to help. While I..."

He trails off, unable to finish. I don't need him to. His gambling debts tell that story clearly enough.

"Hated the sister you once wanted to protect," I say.

Not excusing him, just stating fact.

"Yeah." He nods.

"It still doesn't make it right," I say, watching him carefully. "Stealing from your own family."

"You think Iwantedto?" Freddy's voice sharpens. "When Mom got diagnosed, the bills started piling up. I worked three fucking jobs to help pay for her treatment when insurance denied every fucking claim." He stands a little straighter now, and the same fire I've seen in Megan and Lacey now burns in his eyes. "I thought if I could just win enough money, then things could get better. And at first, I fucking did."

I know this story. I've heard it all before. Every descent into gambling addiction always starts with good intentions. With a glimmer of hope.

From desperation.

"But then you started losing."

"Yeah." He shakes his head and laughs bitterly. "Lost fucking everything and then some. And I had to sit there with Mom night after night, holding her hand while she told me about all the things Lacey and Megan were doing, about how she didn't wantthemto worry." He sighs. "And it just ate me up inside."

He slams his fist against the wall.

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