Chapter 4

As soon as Alaric saw Caspian, he couldn't stop shivering.

Seeing Alaric like this made Caspian even more dissatisfied. "How can a man be so spineless? You're nothing compared to Julian. How do you even deserve to be my son acting like this?"

My heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. I shielded my trembling son behind me. "Why are you here? I absolutely will not let you hurt Alaric again."

Caspian's brow instantly furrowed into a tight knot.

In the past, my son and I fawned over him like dogs, revolving our entire world around him. Now that we dared to give him attitude, his high-and-mighty ego felt gravely offended.

This was the first time he had been treated with such disgust by us, and a wave of irritability and discomfort he had never felt before welled up in his chest.

"Isolde is a single mother who just returned to the country; she's struggling to adjust. As a friend, what's wrong with me helping her out?" He adjusted his cuffs—which were worth a fortune—his tone so self-righteous it made me want to vomit. "Besides, Alaric didn't die, did he? Stop playing the victim and blowing things out of proportion. If you want money, just ask. Don't be so petty; it makes you look like a joke."

"Want money?" I laughed out of extreme anger, my fingernails digging deep into my palms. "Caspian, has a dog eaten your conscience? To save Isolde's bastard, you stole my blood and nearly killed your own son! Do you realize Alaric almost died on that operating table just now?! And now you want to talk to me about money? Can your money buy back his life?!"

Caspian's eyes turned cold. A cruel, mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth as he stepped closer to me. "Ivy, stop making yourself sound so noble. When I went 'bankrupt' and told you to get lost, you were the one who shamelessly insisted on staying in the basement with me. You were the one who insisted on giving birth to this burden, Alaric."

He looked down at me, every word piercing my heart like a poisoned needle. "For the past five years, I didn't hold a gun to your head forcing you to suffer. You did it all voluntarily, didn't you? Since it was voluntary, don't stand here acting pitiful to gain sympathy."

My ears buzzed, and it felt like all the blood in my body was flowing in reverse.

Yes, I was pathetic.

I thought sincerity could warm a stone. I thought eating chaff and vegetables with him would earn his gratitude. In the end, all I got was a dismissive "voluntary." In his eyes, the suffering my son and I endured was something we deserved!

I stared dead at him, gritting my teeth. "You're right, Caspian. The pathetic Ivy from before is dead. Now, take your stinking money and get the hell out!"

Caspian was stung by the resolve in my eyes. The feeling of losing control made him incredibly irritable. He swept a cold glance over us, as if looking at us for one more second would dirty his eyes, then turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

For the next few days, we recovered in a cramped, noisy, disinfectant-smelling ordinary ward, while right next door was Isolde's VIP presidential suite.

When the nurses came to change the dressings, they whispered enviously:

"Did you hear? To calm Miss Isolde's nerves, Mr. Thorne gifted her a pink diamond jewelry set worth twenty million! The main stone alone is the size of a pigeon egg!"

"And that kid, Julian. He just mentioned he wanted to play with Legos, and Mr. Thorne bought out the entire limited edition stock from the toy store and had it sent over! The boxes are piled up so high you can't even walk! Same species, different fates, huh?"

Twenty million in jewelry. Buying out a toy store.

That money was enough for Alaric and me to live in that basement for centuries, enough to buy countless cans of nearly expired discounted food.

Listening to this, my heart felt as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

When pain reaches its limit, it becomes numbness.

On the day of discharge, I pushed Alaric in his wheelchair to Central Park.

I gritted my teeth and bought him a balloon I would never have borne to buy before—it cost what used to be our food budget for a whole day.

Holding the balloon, a hint of color finally returned to Alaric's pale face.

"Mommy," he suddenly looked up, his sensibility breaking my heart, "as long as you're here, I don't envy anyone."

I held back my tears and pointed ahead. "Alaric, let's go see the carousel."

That was his fifth birthday wish—he wanted his daddy to take him on the carousel once.

However, when we arrived at the carousel, we saw that nauseating figure.

Caspian, wearing a casual suit worth more than my life, was patiently lifting Julian onto a golden horse.

"Uncle Caspian, I want to ride the highest one! And I want to go faster! I want to leave everyone behind!" Julian commanded arrogantly, like a spoiled little emperor.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Caspian gently fastened the safety belt for him, even leaning down to kiss Julian's forehead. "Hold on tight, my little knight. The whole playground is yours."

That kind of patience and doting, treating someone like a treasure—he had never given even a fraction of it to Alaric.

Alaric sat in his wheelchair, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly, watching his father give all his love and patience to another child who shared no blood relation with him.

Soon, the carousel stopped. Julian hopped off, wanting more, and immediately spotted Alaric in the wheelchair.

"Oh, isn't it the sicko?"

Julian licked the imported ice cream in his hand that cost dozens of dollars, his eyes full of malicious provocation.

He swaggered over, pointing at Alaric's wheelchair and laughing loudly. "Mommy said you're a useless broke loser! Uncle Caspian likes me best because he's going to be my new daddy! You're a jinx, and I'm a lucky star! I have a big castle to live in, and you can only live in a sewer!"

Isolde stood not far away, frowning with fake concern. "Julian, don't talk like that." But the smile in the corners of her eyes couldn't be hidden.

Julian ignored her completely. He made a face like a little demon at Alaric, then suddenly charged forward...

"Bang—!"