Chapter 3

Then the bombshell dropped: I was not Lloyd's real son.

Walter was.

My real parents? That remained a mystery.

In one fell swoop, I plummeted from paradise to purgatory.

The family I knew for almost twenty years? They locked me away in a loony bin scarier than any jail.

"I don't want the family to worry. Whatever you did to me, I'm over it," he said.

"If you promise not to upset Mom and Dad anymore, I'll start treating you like a real brother!"

Walter's smile was all sweetness and light, the picture of a good son and a forgiving soul.

Anyone watching would have to admit he was the perfect heir to the Lloyd family fortune.

All around, people looked at him with admiration, and even Dad gave a nod of approval.

"Absolutely, if you turn over a new leaf, you'll always be the Lloyd family's golden boy!"

Janet's face was all twisted up in a frown.

"I'm letting this slide because of Walter. Aren't you going to thank him? Mess with him again, and you'll have me to answer to!"

Five years ago, I would have been tripping over myself to set the record straight.

I never picked on Walter; he was the mastermind behind all the so-called bullying.

However, I was done playing the fool, trying to justify myself to people who could not have cared less.

"Sorry, I just came back to get my ID."

Instantly, I was met with a sea of scowling faces.

They all thought I was biting the hand that fed me.

"Why do you have to make a big deal out of nothing? Keep this up, and do you really want to end up back in the psych ward?"

"We raised you, so why can't you be good like Walter? Why do you always have to go against us?" Harriet was losing it, and I could not fathom why.

"However, I'm not your real son anymore, am I?"

I thought getting my ID and leaving was the logical next step.

Harriet froze, her hand falling away as she looked at me, as if she was seeing a stranger.

…

Janet let out a huff.

"You think you can just walk away from twenty-plus years of living it up with the Lloyds? You think you can ever make up for all that?"

I just kept my eyes on the ground.

I just did not get these people.

They could not stand me, and I was not even a Lloyd anymore. So why weren't they happy I was gone?

However, somehow, I was still there, stuck with the Lloyds for the time being.

My old room, the one that was once mine, was then Walter's.

Me? I was downgraded to the nanny's room, a place I never thought I would sleep in.

No complaints from me, though. I hit the sack early.

However, even on that soft bed, nightmares haunted me.

I was back in that mental hospital, reliving the daily torment.

Those monsters did not care about my screams, just ripped at my clothes.

I begged them, told them my family and my fiancée, Liliana, would make them pay.

However, fighting back just made them worse, more vicious.

They mocked me and said I was living in a fantasy.

Laughed at the idea that I still saw myself as Lloyd's golden boy.

They called me an idiot.

Because everything that happened to me was with the Lloyds' and Liliana's blessing!

I woke up from that nightmare, shivering all over.

…

I needed water, something to calm my nerves. That's when I saw Janet sneaking out, helmet in hand, ready for another midnight ride.

I pretended not to notice and kept pouring my drink.

However, Janet stopped and came over.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked.