[His shoulder shook a little as he just wrapped himself around Dirk.]

'parently existing is a pretty good reason to treat a guy like shit. It's not like 'm not used to it. Had a stunning example of that shit for most of my life. [The words that still stung. They were still clear in his mind. He didn't care for the physical abuse. The emotional turmoil was much harder to deal with. Especially when it came from the very people who should have loved you.

It's a constant reminder that he'll never be like that to his brothers. Never.]