“I believe you,” Oliver says at last.

Alastair looks up to find him crying too, but there’s a familiar light to Oliver’s face that Alastair had feared his parents had stamped out of him. Hope has returned to Oliver’s eyes and Alastair cannot help but catch it like a cold. He feels warmer, thanks to their combined hands, and his tears subside enough for him to offer Oliver a watery smile.

“Your sister is going to kill me,” Alastair chuckles miserably. ...