《The Toys That Broke My Heart》全部章節：第 1 章 - 第 9 章

Liam's POVThe next day, I lied to Grandma and told her I was going into town for the day. Instead, I got on a bus by myself and headed straight to the city.I'd barely reached the entrance of my parents' apartment complex when I saw Mom walking out, holding the hand of a little boy who looked about seven or eight years old.My face lit up. I opened my mouth to call out to her, but the boy beat me to it."Mom! It stopped raining!"Mom grabbed him before he could dart ahead. "Lucas! There are cars everywhere. Stay close to me."I froze so completely that I didn't notice the curb at my feet. I tripped and tumbled straight into the bushes beside the walkway, accidentally hiding myself from view.Neither of them saw me.But I saw that boy.He looked like Dad. He looked like Mom, too. And Mom had called him Lucas.My name was Liam Carter. His name was Lucas Carter.I wondered if he was my little brother, but I had no idea when Mom and Dad had another son.I wondered why I didn't

Liam's POVGrandma called that night."Liam, why did you run off to the city?" There was a note of reproach in her voice. "Do you have any idea how busy your parents are? Now that you're there, they have to worry about you and your brother at the same time. You're only making things harder for them."I rubbed at my nose, trying to ignore the sting behind it. "Grandma, do you think I'm ruining their happy family too? Did Mom and Dad adopt me or something?""What? Of course not!" Grandma answered immediately. "Don't be ridiculous. Where would you even get an idea like that?""Then, why do I have a brother I didn't even know existed?"Grandma fell silent. A long time passed before she finally sighed. "Your brother was sick a lot when he was a baby, so your parents kept him with them in the city. After a few years, they got used to having him there."They'd originally planned to send him here to live with me too, but when the time came, they couldn't bear to part with him. So, they

Liam's POVUncle Tristan and Aunt Anna asked if I'd already talked everything over with Mom and Dad.I nodded. "You don't need to ask them again. Mom said if everyone talks about it again, she might start having second thoughts and change her mind."Aunt Anna nodded quickly. "Right, of course. Something this important only gets more complicated the longer people drag it out."We won't call them, then. And since your legal records are already under our family, we won't have to change much paperwork anyway."When Grandma heard the news, she didn't seem particularly surprised. She didn't even think to call Mom and Dad to check.She'd always known they favored Lucas. She knew they didn't pay much attention to their older son.The only thing she couldn't understand was how I could bear to leave my parents. After all, summer and winter breaks used to be what I looked forward to most. I would count down the days, always hoping Mom and Dad would come visit me.After all, a single phone

Liam's POVMom pulled up Uncle Tristan's number and called him. "Tristan! Is Liam with you? Have you all lost your minds? He's my son! He's only 13 years old! He doesn't know what he's doing!"Uncle Tristan's reply was calm. "Linda, he knows exactly what he's doing. That's why he chose to come with us."Mom grew even more agitated. "Put him on the phone. I want to talk to him right now!"Uncle Tristan handed the phone to me."Hello?""Liam! Where are you? I'll come get you! Tell me the truth. Did they pressure you into going with them?""No.""Then, why did you leave? Don't you miss your mom and dad? Don't you…"I cut her off, "I'm doing really well here. Mrs. Carter, when I was living with you, you didn't exactly try to keep me around either."Mom went completely silent. "What… What did you just call me?"Her voice came out quiet and strained. But I didn't feel even the slightest bit sorry for her anymore."Last Thanksgiving Day, I spent the night at your place. I heard wh

Liam's POVFrom the end of elementary school through all three years of middle school, I consistently ranked among the top five students in my grade.Every time I brought home another certificate or academic award, Uncle Tristan put it up on the living room wall. Before long, there was barely any empty space left.One night, I got up to use the bathroom and found Uncle Tristan standing in front of that wall. He'd just gotten home after working late and hadn't even changed out of his work clothes yet.He stood there quietly, looking up at all my awards. The pride in his eyes was unmistakable.Something warm settled in my chest.He heard me and turned around with a smile. "When you get into college, I'm throwing you the biggest graduation party this town has ever seen."I grinned. "Deal. I'll get into a great school and give you something to brag about."On my high school entrance exams, I placed third in the entire country. When the results came out, my school hung a huge banner