Tadhg Lynch

The forgotten brother.

The unloved brother.

Since that fire in his house, caused by his father in a fit of madness while trying to murder his mother, his brothers and himself, Tadhg's life had turned into chaos. Now he lived in the house of Johnny Kavanagh, Shannon's boyfriend, his older sister, and that made him feel more alone than ever. All his life had been marked by loneliness: no friends, no parents to take care of him, no girlfriends, only his brothers. And now, the discomfort of living under Johnny's roof made him feel like a constant burden.

What Tadhg didn't notice was the girl from the house next door, who, every time he went out to walk the dogs or went to hurling training, watched him in silence.

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On a rainy day in Cork, while returning from his practice, completely soaked, he saw that girl. I was in front of a tree, talking to it with a mixture of frustration and concern.

"What the fuck?..." Tadhg thought. Any other day he would have gone on for a long time, too tired and wet to get into other people's affairs, but something in her caught his attention. Curiosity, latent and sudden, pushed him to approach.

With slow steps, he advanced towards the girl, who was still talking to the tree. When he was close enough, he understood the situation: a scared little cat was perched on a branch, meowing weakly.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, with his characteristic harsh tone, but the spark of interest shone in his eyes.