Chapter 1

I raised my hand and wiped the filth from my eyes before limping my way out of the crowd.

"Hector!" Mom's voice rang out behind me, trembling in disbelief. "Where are you going?"

I kept walking without turning back.

Serena Thompson, who was now my ex-wife, quickly came over to block my path, her lips pursed. "Stop causing a scene, Hector. Just come home with us first."

Stopping in my tracks, I dragged my half-broken legs across the ground to stand before them. The voice that escaped my throat sounded like it'd been scraped with sandpaper. "Home? Do I still have a home?"

My gaze fixed on Dad's face. "Dad, you were the one who called me a monster and said I didn't deserve to be a Judd."

His expression instantly stiffened.

I looked at Mom next, my lips twitching. "Do I still have a home when you've already given everything of mine over to someone else, Mom?"

She averted her eyes.

"Hector!" Serena snapped as she grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. "Must you take this attitude with us?"

I flung her hand off like I was getting rid of something disgusting.

"I almost forgot about you," I said. "Congratulations. You and Cody finally get to have your happily ever after. I heard he went to great lengths to marry you. Not only did he kill his own daughter, but he even forced his wife to die…

"You know what, Serena? I bet his dead wife and daughter roll in their graves every time you and Cody get it on in bed."

A loud smack rang out. Dad's palm struck my face, snapping my head to the side. My ears started ringing.

"You bastard!" His face was now red with rage, his whole body trembling. "You're the one who did all those vile things, yet you're trying to make it sound like Cody and Serena are the ones at fault! You're worse than a monster!"

Mom also chimed in sharply, "What's with your attitude, Hector? Serena only married Cody to make up for what you did. What gives you the right to slander them!

"It's one thing for you to rot in the gutter like the vermin you are, but how dare you try to drag their reputations through the mud? You're evil!"

Serena's eyes reddened. "Hector, my relationship with Cody is not what you think… At the time, Cody had just lost two close family members. He drowned himself in alcohol every night and ended up with stomach cancer. I only married him to take care of him."

She reached out to touch my face, adding, "I swear I married Cody just as a temporary measure. Now that you're back, we can go back to how things were."

I slapped her hard across the face with all my strength. Even though my voice was shaky, it was stone cold as I growled, "Go back to how things were? You disgust me, Serena! What makes you think I'd want to get back together with a slut like you? Just having the slightest contact with you is enough to make me sick!"

The veins along Dad's arm bulged as he grabbed me by the throat and roared, "Hector! Are you out of your mind? Shut your filthy mouth!"

Why should I show them any courtesy?

"What did I do wrong?" I snarled, each word sharp as I stared them all down. "What did I ever do wrong? Cody Judd's the real criminal! Yet you all lavished your affection on him and chose to trample me into the ground instead.

"You had me thrown in prison without even bothering to get your facts straight. You chose to ruin my life!"

"What criminal!" Mom snapped at me. "You watch your mouth!"

The man who'd splashed sewage water at me rushed forward again, slamming a steel pipe hard against my already crippled legs. The dull crack of a bone breaking rang out.

I collapsed to my knees, cold sweat instantly soaking through me.

"How dare you try to slander Mr. Judd? You've got a death wish, don't you!"

I couldn't keep a running count of how many times my crippled legs got hit. The pain made my body shake uncontrollably.

As Serena stared at my deformed legs, her eyes flickered with a twinge of sympathy.

"Just come home with us, Hector. No matter what you ask for, I'll give it to you to make it up to you."

But I simply spat blood-stained saliva at her face. "Don't give me those crocodile tears. Get lost! All of you disgust me!"

Dad flew into a rage again, jabbing a finger at me as he bellowed, "I'm giving you one last chance, Hector. You're going to get on your knees and apologize to Cody and Serena. Otherwise, get the hell out of the Judd family and don't ever come back!"