diff --git a/src/structs/Item.js b/src/structs/Item.js
index 7e1bc92c..c14778b3 100644
--- a/src/structs/Item.js
+++ b/src/structs/Item.js
@@ -389,9 +389,8 @@ export class Item extends AbstractStruct {
     }
     if ((this.left && this.left.constructor === GC) || (this.right && this.right.constructor === GC)) {
       this.parent = null
-    }
-    // only set parent if this shouldn't be garbage collected
-    if (!this.parent) {
+    } else if (!this.parent) {
+      // only set parent if this shouldn't be garbage collected
       if (this.left && this.left.constructor === Item) {
         this.parent = this.left.parent
         this.parentSub = this.left.parentSub