His father's mouth tightened. For a second, something flickered across his face. Guilt maybe. Or shame.
Then it was gone.
"You were always harder to love, Landon." His voice was quiet. Cold. "From the moment you could talk, you fought everything. Refused every rule. Made everything difficult."
The words landed like bullets.
His mother gasped. "Thomas, no."
But the damage was done.
Landon stood there. Frozen. Those words echoing in his head.
Harder to love.
His mother had tears running down her face now. "I tried to protect you from him," she whispered. "From the way he saw you. I tried..."
"But you never did." Landon's voice was hollow. "You just watched."
The front door opened.
Footsteps in the hallway.
Then Noah appeared in the doorway.
He looked
