### Chapter Nine: The Breaking Point
The silence stretched after his mother's plea, a fragile thread pulled tight between them all. Syan could feel Lila beside him, her hand still resting on his, trembling faintly. The air in the room was thick with tension, the kind that made every breath feel like a choice. He couldn't see her face, couldn't tell if her eyes were locked on their parents or staring at the floor, but he knew she was weighing everything—every promise, every betrayal, every moment they'd survived without them.
"Lila?" his mother said, her voice soft, almost afraid. "Please, say something."
Lila's hand tightened on his, just for a second, then let go. He heard her stand, the bed creaking as she moved, her sneakers scuffing the floor. When she spoke, her voice was steady, but there was a fire in it Syan hadn't heard before. "You think a house and jobs fix it? You think saying sorry makes up for leaving us?"
"We don't," his father said quickly, his tone gruff but earnest. "We know it doesn't erase what we did. But we're trying to give you something better now. A real life, not this."
"This?" Lila's voice rose, sharp and raw. "This is my life. Syan's my life. You don't get to call it nothing just because it's hard."
"Lila, we didn't mean—" his mother started, but Lila cut her off.
"No, you don't get to talk yet. You left him here, stuck, and you left me to figure it out. I was seven. Seven! And you didn't even call, didn't write, didn't care. Now you show up with promises, and I'm supposed to just… what? Trust you?"
Syan's chest ached, pride and pain twisting together. She was fighting for them—for him—like she always had, but he could hear the hurt bleeding through her words. He wanted to reach for her, to tell her she didn't have to do this alone, but all he could do was listen, trapped as ever.
"We were wrong," his father said, his voice quieter now, almost broken. "We were weak. Scared. We thought… we thought you'd be better off without us dragging you down."
"Better off?" Lila laughed, a bitter, jagged sound. "You didn't even try. You gave up on him, and you gave up on me. Syan never gave up. He's still here, every day, even when it hurts. That's what family does."
The room went still, her words hanging heavy. Syan felt them sink into him, a lifeline he hadn't known he needed. She was right—he'd stayed, not because he had a choice, but because she was worth it. She'd always been worth it.
"We know we failed," his mother said, her voice thick with tears. "We can't change that. But we're here now, and we want to help. Syan needs care—real care, not just you struggling to keep up. And you… you deserve to be a kid, Lila, not a caretaker."
"I'm not a kid," she shot back. "Not anymore. You made sure of that."
"Lila," Syan said softly, breaking his silence. He couldn't let her carry this alone, not when it was tearing her apart. "They're right about one thing. You shouldn't have to do it all."
She turned toward him—he could feel it, the shift in her presence. "Syan, don't. Don't say it's okay for them to just—"
"It's not okay," he interrupted, his voice firm despite the strain. "What they did isn't okay. But if they're serious—if they can get me help, real help—maybe you wouldn't have to burn toast every morning."
She let out a choked laugh, half a sob. "I like burning toast. It's our thing."
"I know," he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "But you deserve more than that. We both do."
She didn't answer right away, and he heard her shuffle closer, her hand finding his again. "I don't want to lose you," she whispered, so low only he could hear. "If they take me, if they split us up…"
"They won't," he said, fierce and sure. "I told them it's your call. If you say no, they go. If you say yes, I'm with you. Always."
She squeezed his hand this time, hard enough that he felt the echo of it in his bones. Then she turned back to their parents, her voice steady again. "Okay. You want to help? Prove it. Get Syan a doctor, a real one, not just promises. Get him what he needs—equipment, whatever. But we stay here. Together. You don't take me anywhere, and you don't get to act like you're in charge. You left. You don't call the shots anymore."
Syan's heart thudded, a mix of relief and awe washing over him. She'd found a middle ground, a way to keep them whole while testing their parents' words. It was more than he'd dared to hope for.
His father cleared his throat. "We can do that. We'll start tomorrow—find a doctor, get things moving. We'll make it work."
"And if you don't," Lila said, her tone steel, "you're gone. For good."
"Understood," his mother said, her voice trembling but resolute. "We'll prove it, Lila. To both of you."
The door creaked as they stepped back into the cold, their footsteps fading into the night. Lila sank onto the bed beside him, her breath shaky as the fight drained out of her. "Did I do the right thing?" she asked, her voice small again.
"You did what you always do," he said, tilting his head toward her. "You kept us together."
She leaned against him, her warmth seeping through the blanket, and for the first time in hours, the stillness didn't feel so heavy. They'd faced the breaking point and come out the other side—scarred, but whole. And whatever came next, they'd face it the same way: as a team.
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Let me know if you'd like Chapter Ten or any adjustments here!