She sleeps beside me, and I gaze straight ahead, lost in my thoughts.

Lately, I haven’t been able to sleep well because her happiness, which brings me peace, has lost. How can I sleep when she’s in pain caused by my brother, whom I once trusted? He has turned into a monster, stealing Alice’s happiness and inflicting unbearable pain upon her. I have lost my brother, and he is dead to me.

Suddenly, I feel Alice’s body tense beside me, her sleep disrupted by haunting nightmares. She tosses and turns, her face contorted with fear, and my heart sinks to see her in such agony.

I pull her close against...