Chapter 4

Eugene sneered when he heard my words. “What could possibly happen to us that we’d need you? Rowan inherited my genes. He’s perfectly healthy!”

Rowena chimed in with a sarcastic tone, “He’s probably cursing us. I bet he wishes that we’ll get sick and drop dead just like him. What a two-faced snake!”

Rowan picked up a pen and added the clause to the contract.

“It’s fine. Let’s just add it. Didn’t Mom and Dad say they would treat us fairly?

“I just hope that from now on, if you ever need anything, you come to me instead of bothering Mom and Dad. They’re not responsible for your medical bills.”

Then, he handed the contract to me.

I did not read another word of the densely written clauses.

I could only see two words, [Give up.]

I smiled bitterly as I signed my name before everyone’s intense gaze.

After the notary recorded the video, I heard everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Ronnie, who had remained silent the whole time, walked up to me and gently said, “Don’t worry, Ronan. I’ll always be here for you.

“It’s getting late. Get some rest first. I’ll take you to the hospital tomorrow.”

After that, she pushed me into the storage room.

An hour later, she cautiously asked at the door, “Ronan, are you asleep?”

I did not respond.

Soon, I heard Eugene’s voice.

“He’s asleep. Let’s pack up quickly. Rowan already got into college anyway. At worst, we’ll just move to another city and start over.

“Don’t be too upset about it. It’s just his bad luck. Our children are still young. We’re not going to let one person drag this whole family down to the grave.”

Sitting on the hard metal bed frame, I listened to the rustling sounds outside the door as they gradually faded away.

I heard the front door close, and then, the house went dead quiet.

After that, I walked into the living room. The house had been almost emptied out.

On the coffee table sat a single envelope. Inside it was a small amount of cash and a note.

[You’re both my sons, but I can’t give up on Rowan because of you. Please don’t blame me for it.]

I laughed in exasperation.

When I wiped my face, I realized that it was already covered in tears.

I went back to my room and pulled out an old metal box.

It contained the property deed for a house in my grandfather’s hometown.

He had left it to me before he died.

He was an old country man in his eighties who could not read.

To make sure that no one could take the deed away, he went out of his way to have a will written and notarized.

He was the last person in this world who loved me.

A place was only home when there was someone there who loved me.

After he left, I was completely alone. All my life, I had been living under someone else’s roof.

Since I had no home, I decided to make the world my home.

I sold my grandfather’s old house for a little over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Then, I bought an action camera and some gear. Hitting the road, I headed further west.

I started a social media channel and called it “18, Alone, and Roaming Free.”

My first video went mildly viral and earned me my first big payout.

There were plenty of skeptics, but even more people showed their support.

Over the span of six months, I completed a wide loop through the backcountry of the West.

Whenever I passed through small towns, the locals would welcome me with the warmest hospitality.

They would offer me home-cooked meals and clean, comfortable beds. These were things I had never experienced in my own so-called homes.

I thought that I would drift through life like a tumbleweed and wander forever with no place to call my own.

Unexpectedly, Rowena called me one day.

She sounded out of breath on the other end of the line.

After a long pause, she inhaled deeply and said, “Rowan’s the one with uremia, not you.”