He shrugged, as though the answer were obvious. "If we both left he would have killed us. One of us needed to stay with him. I made her go. Held him off for a year, that's not too bad." It wasn't the whole truth. He'd wanted to stay, wanted to earn his father's praise and affections, but that was a private matter.
He flexed his legs slightly, eyes skirting briefly towards the door.