"He's our son, and we might have let him down."

"You're overthinking. He doesn't care."

"He does care. If he didn't, why would he call me regularly and bring his girlfriend to meet us?"

"He's learned how to fake it. He's good at hiding who he really is."

"He's our son. He's not some experiment. Stop treating him like one."

"But he's dangerous. He could snap."

They pull away, frowning and starting to leave.

I grab their wrist. "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here if you keep talking about our son like that."

"No, you're staying." I pull them back to me. "You can be mad and still talk to me."

My spouse sighs. "Try to see him as more than your bias. I was hurt too, but that doesn't mean Killian's like her."

Before I can respond, a loud bang comes from the next room.

We rush out, stopping in the hallway. The bang happens again.

Gareth.

We hurry to his room, and the door is open.

What we see is like a nightmare. Killian has Gareth pinned against the wall, holding him by the throat. The sound we heard was Killian slamming him back.

Killian's face is completely cold, no trace of the light I saw earlier.

"I'm not asking again. Why did you send her that video?" His voice is calm, but his rage is clear. "I told you to stay out of it. You should've listened."

Gareth punches him in the face, blood splattering, but Killian doesn't let go.

My spouse runs to them, trying to sound firm. "Let him go, Kill."

"Stay out of it, Mom/Dad. We have a score to settle."

"You're hurting him."

"He hurt me first. This is payback."

"Killian, please." My spouse's hand digs into his arm, but he doesn't react.

"Don't beg for him, Mom/Dad. Just don't."

"Let him go, Killian." I step forward.

When he doesn't respond, I grab him by the neck and pull him back hard enough to send him flying if I let go.

But I don't.

Because as much as I was a violent person in my youth, I don’t use that shit anymore—especially not in my family.