“Only once,” Nathan said.

“When I was twelve.”

“She tried to approach me in a park, but my bodyguards pushed her away.”

“She looked so thin, Emily.”

“Like she was fading into the air.”

He looked away, his jaw tight.

“She died in a state hospital three years later,” he said.

“They told me she had an illness, but I knew the truth.”

“They broke her.”

“They took everything she had until there was nothing left to keep her alive.”

I stood up and walked over to him, placing my hand gently on his shoulder.

His muscles were as hard as granite under his damp shirt.

“I won’t let them do that to you,” he said, looking up at me.

“And I won’t let them do it to Rosie.”

“That’s why I’m here.”

“It’s not just about stopping Grant.”

“It’s about stopping people who think they can buy a child’s life.”

I squeezed his shoulder, feeling a strange, fierce gratitude.

“Thank you,” I said.

He reached up and briefly touched my hand before pulling back.

“We need to get some rest,” he said, rising from the chair.