One of the worst moments in Edward's life had been finding his little brother in the middle of the living room, stinking of alcohol and stale urine. It'd taken a lot of time and patience to cajole him out of the house and into the ambulance that waited outside. The months that followed had been terrifying for the entire family, for Jasper remained unresponsive.
It'd taken a single visit from Maria to reawaken Jasper. Despite the barely disguised contempt the whole family seemed to direct at her, Edward would be forever grateful to the harsh woman for bringing his brother back from the hell he'd endured through all of those months he spent in silence suffering all alone the loss of his beloved Aline.
However, he resented her too, for he wanted to have been the one to save Jasper. He'd tried so hard, going as far as hiring a lawyer to try to grant Jasper the right to visit the girl he'd raised as his own, but he lost.
And that's how he came to love and hate the woman who spent so many years at Jasper's side.