Ian stood at the back of Mina's family home, waiting for her father to say anything to him. The man had taken a seat in a lawn chair and was staring into the distance as Ian stood beside him.
"When Mina was little, she used to play right there." David rubbed at his forehead before continuing. "We used to force her to go outside, so she found a way to do what she wanted while still following our rules. At first, Anne and I were upset. We wanted her to run around with Sadie, but she preferred to watch other children play, almost like she was studying them."
"Mina was special," Ian added, sitting in the open chair that David patted the seat of.
"More than special," David replied. "You broke her, you know?" Ian's breath hitched as he struggled to keep his emotions under control. "...wasn't all you. That sister of yours drove my daughter into a bottle. I'm sure Anne and I contributed to the problem by treating her like a monster for most of her life."
"She wasn't," Ian said.
