Hana, noticing the absence of Rowan, furrowed her brows. "Where's Rowan? It's his birthday too. Why isn't he here?"

My cousin waved off her concern with a nonchalant chuckle, as though the question were absurd. "Oh, him? I broke his leg last night. He's still unconscious."

He delivered the news with such casual detachment that it took a moment for the weight of his words to sink in. Hana's eyes widened in horror. "You what?"

Ignoring her, my cousin strode inside and placed the cake and gifts on the table in front of Nathan, his face softening into an indulgent smile. "Nathan, my dear boy, today is your special day. I won't let anything ruin it for you."

Nathan hesitated, his small hands reaching for the gift but pausing as though conflicted. His sleeves slipped back slightly, revealing a faint cut on the back of his hand.

My cousin's expression darkened instantly. "What is this?" he demanded, grabbing Nathan's wrist to examine the injury.

"It's just a small scratch," Nathan murmured, pulling his hand back.

My cousin spun on me, his face a mask of outrage. "Jimmy, what the hell is wrong with you? How could you let Nathan hurt his hand?!"

I met his furious gaze with calm indifference. "It's normal for kids to get a few scrapes. Your son is covered in injuries all the time, isn't he?"

The room seemed to freeze. My cousin's face turned red with rage as my words sunk in. "How dare you compare that worthless brat to Nathan?" he snarled. "Nathan is—"

Realizing he was losing control, he stopped mid-sentence. He took a deep breath and smoothed his expression before continuing in a more measured tone. "What I mean is, Nathan has been raised with care and deserves better treatment than that useless kid of mine. You need to take better care of him!"

Hana, who had been quietly fuming, finally spoke up. "How dare you! If you hadn't beaten your son yesterday, leaving a mess of blood, Nathan wouldn't have been forced to clean it up and hurt himself!"

My cousin turned to Nathan, his face softening once more. "Nathan, is that true?"

Nathan nodded solemnly. "Yes, I just wanted to help out Mom and Dad."

His words moved my cousin. "Sometimes, you don't have to be so considerate. Leave the hard and dirty work to your dad. Your just need to enjoy life, got it?"

Nathan nodded quietly, but I could see the guilt flickering in his eyes.