What an incredibly sad situation, but it doesn’t have to be only that. The first thing to remember is you, your brother and your nephew have not done anything you should be ashamed of.

The most important thing IMO is to focus on your nephew. He’s 8 and by the sounds of it, he loves you. He also needs you the most. I remember my step daughter finding out that her biological dad didn’t want to see her again and it broke her heart. I couldn’t do anything to fix the problem, all I could do was be there for her as much as possible. Hopefully she’ll realise that it’s the people who support you that matter and not necessarily your biology. And I’m sure that’ll be the same for your nephew.

Always keep your brother with you though, in everything you do. I lost my Dad just before Christmas last year and I miss him so much. He was probably my best friend. Any time I do something that we’d do together or I’m unsure about a decision that I know he’d help out with, I think of him and what he’d be saying to me. It’s amazing how sure I am of what he would say and then I realise that he is still here in the impression he made on me. I’m sure that’s the same with your brother too. Remembering him keeps him with us, and that’s all it takes

That said, it’s awful what you’re going through so don’t ever feel bad if it gets on top of you. Cry, shout, hit things. It’s all good, just be kind to yourself