“Cape Ann.”
“What?”
“Dad let us use house alone.”
“You backed Mercedes into seawall.”
Adrian stared.
“That was you.”
“You were drunk.”
“You were driving.”
“You told Dad I was.”
“He believed me.”
“He always liked you.”
Julian’s eyes opened.
“No.”
“He worried about me.”
“Different.”
Adrian sat.
Tears blurred his brother.
He whispered:
“I buried you.”
Julian’s face changed.
“I know.”
“No.”
“You don’t.”
“I stood there.”
“I saw the coffin.”
“I put your watch—”
His voice broke.
Julian reached weakly.
Adrian took his hand.
It was thin.
Real.
Julian whispered:
“Adri.”
Adrian bent forward.
Their foreheads almost touched.
For several seconds, neither was forty-five or forty-one or whatever age trauma had made them.
They were boys again.
Brothers after a fight.
Trying to decide who would apologize first.
Julian did.
“I’m sorry.”
Adrian pulled back.
“For what?”
“For being alive badly?”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
Julian’s expression hardened.
“Neither do you.”
Adrian looked away.
Julian knew.
He always knew.
“I sent you out that night.”
“You told me to leave your apartment.”
“I said disappear.”
“Yes.”
“And then—”
“No.”
Julian’s grip tightened surprisingly.
“No.”
“You don’t get to hand him your guilt.”
“Who?”
Julian’s eyes darkened.
“Mercer.”
Adrian’s breathing slowed.
“What did he do?”
Julian looked toward the door.
“Not here.”
“Why?”
“He has people.”
“He had people where I was.”
“Where were you?”
Julian swallowed.
“Saint Bartholomew Neurobehavioral Center.”
Adrian had never heard the name.
“Hospital?”
“Prison with nurses.”
Adrian felt cold.
Julian closed eyes briefly.
“Mercer came.”
“When?”
“After crash.”
“No.”
“Three times I remember.”
“No.”
“He told me you thought I was dead.”
“He told me Dad couldn’t survive scandal.”
“He told me I had brain injury.”
“He told staff my identity claims were delusions.”
Adrian stared.
“Daniel visited you?”
Julian nodded.
“He signed papers.”
“What papers?”
“Guardianship.”
“Placement.”
“I refused.”
“Then signatures appeared anyway.”
Adrian stood.
A monitor accelerated.
A nurse entered.
“Mr. Duca, we need to end this.”
Adrian did not move.
Julian reached toward him.
“One more.”
Adrian leaned.
“Don’t sign Halcyon.”
He froze.
“What?”