Chapter 5 - Toby Had Started Believing Brielle Hated Him
Toby recovered physically.
The swelling faded.
The emotional damage took longer.
For several days, he refused to stay alone in the same room with Brielle.
If she entered, he moved closer to Heather.
That devastated Brielle.
But Heather did not force them to hug.
Did not demand an immediate apology scene.
Did not tell Toby:
“Your sister didn’t mean it.”
Because Brielle did mean to throw the jar.
That fact needed to remain clear.
Instead, Heather told Toby:
“What Brielle did was wrong. You are safe. Grown-ups are making sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Then she told Brielle separately:
“Feeling left out explains why you were angry. It does not make it okay to hurt Toby.”
Brielle stared at the floor.
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
Then she started crying.
“I wanted him to know how it feels when nobody cares if you’re hurt.”
Heather closed her eyes.
There it was.
Brielle had not simply wanted to injure her brother.
She had wanted to transfer her pain to him.
That was frightening.
And it meant the family needed more than punishment.
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They needed to understand what had been growing underneath the jealousy.
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