Chapter 3

The fork slipped from Sharon's hand and hit the floor.

Everyone crowded around to read the news.

"Sharon," someone remarked, looking puzzled, "isn't that the center you sent Kyle to?"

Sharon's mind was in turmoil, her lips pressed into a tight line.

David's eyes flickered. He picked up Sharon's fork and said casually, "It's just one of those clickbait accounts blowing things out of proportion.

"I have a friend who went there, and he came back much more grounded. Now he's a model husband and father. The reform center must be doing too well. It probably threatened someone's interests, so they paid people to smear it.

The crowd immediately agreed. One of the guests commented, "David, you're the smartest one here. You always have great insights."

Sharon visibly relaxed and snorted. "Look, they even have interview clips with the so-called victims. It all looks so staged. These people are just looking for attention.

"Even before Kyle left, he kept whining about how sick he was and saying he wouldn't make it. When he comes back, he'll probably try to slander the place just like they did."

Turning to Adam, she added, "He's only refusing to come home because he's having too good a time there. Cut his allowance. Give him just enough to keep him from starving."

Sweat broke out across Adam's back, and he quickly nodded.

I knew exactly why he was so nervous. He was the one who suggested that Sharon had my hands badly injured and sent me to the Behavioral Reform Center.

Once I was there, Adam paid nothing beyond my tuition. He even told the instructors to give me "special treatment".

Seeing that there was no extra money to be made off me, the staff made an example of me to intimidate the others, taking turns tormenting me.

I was already weak after donating my kidney, and my hand injuries hadn't healed yet. That night, my wounds became infected, and I developed a high fever.

With my life on the line, a staff member called Sharon for me, but Adam answered.

"Ms. Griffin was right about you. You really are full of drama," he mocked over the phone. "Now you're pretending to be sick just like Mr. Middleton! Good thing Ms. Griffin told me not to bother with you.

"You know what? She just sent Mr. Middleton 200 thousand dollars for living expenses. They're a match made in heaven, so you might as well just die in there!"

Later that night, my body went into spasms, and I died in that reform center.

The mood at the table grew heavy again. Sharon had little appetite, and the meal ended in silence.

As they walked out, David draped an arm over her shoulders and said sweetly, "Wait, Sharon. I haven't seen Paula in a while. Can I come by your place? I miss her!"

Sharon had told me that David's family went bankrupt when he was five years old, so he had lived with her family since childhood, and Sharon's mother became his godmother.

Sharon always insisted they were just close friends and that there was nothing inappropriate between them. But was that kind of intimacy really not crossing the line?

Seeing Sharon hesitate, David coaxed her, "Are you worried Kyle will get mad? Don't worry. I'll be careful. He'll never know."

Sharon sighed helplessly and nodded.

I lowered my gaze and smiled bitterly.

She knew how much I valued having a home of my own after growing up in an orphanage. That was why we'd agreed not to let outsiders into our home. Yet David had always been the exception.

When they arrived, Sharon's mother, Paula Brown, came out in her wheelchair to welcome David.

He immediately sweet-talked her, making her burst into laughter. In the past three years, I'd never seen my mother-in-law this happy.

After exchanging pleasantries, Paula said to Sharon, "David's on break now. Shouldn't Kyle be coming home too? The caregiver doesn't take very good care of me. Kyle is much better at looking after me."

David leaned against her knees with a smile and said, "Paula, I can take care of you too. Let me give you a nice leg massage now."

Paula quickly grabbed his hands to stop him. "Your hands are too important for this kind of work! Kyle is used to waiting on people, so let him do it."