Chapter 5

Just as the bull was about to slam into Simon, Eleanor cried out and threw herself in front of him without a second's hesitation.

"Simon, watch out!"

The bull rammed into Eleanor and knocked her to the ground. Simon lost his balance as well, and with only one leg to stand on, he went down hard.

Eleanor clutched the spot where she had been hit, her face white with pain.

Even so, the first thing she did was scramble over to Simon. "Are you okay? Did you hurt your leg? The doctor said the amputation site is really fragile. You can't let it get injured."

Seeing Eleanor so frantic and shaken, Simon was caught off guard for a moment.

"I-I'm fine."

The handler rushed over and got the bull under control, then suddenly called out, "Sir, why is there a red cloth tied around your waist? I told everyone over and over again that nothing red could be anywhere near the show."

The words were barely out of his mouth when a burst of laughter came from the corner.

Eleanor froze. "Poppy! Did you sneak that red cloth onto your dad? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

Poppy hopped out with a cheeky grin, wiggling her butt and making faces.

"That bad guy made Papa's sickness worse. I was getting back at him for Papa!"

A sharp pang shot through Simon's chest, yet his eyes stayed dry. He propped himself up on his crutches, turned, and walked away without a word.

From the moment Poppy started calling Jeremy her father, she had stopped being Simon's daughter, and Simon would never grieve over her again.

That evening, Eleanor invited a crowd of friends over, and the show in the backyard was in full swing.

Simon stayed alone in his room as the phantom limb pain flared up again. He was gritting his teeth through it when the door suddenly flew open.

Eleanor's face was dark, and she spoke through clenched teeth. "Simon, I can't believe you could be this vicious."

Simon looked at her blankly. "What are you talking about?"

Jeremy was holding Poppy in his arms, so choked up he could barely speak.

"Simon, stop pretending.

"Halfway through the show, somebody pushed Poppy into the ring while she was on her way to the bathroom. If the handler hadn't stepped in just in time, the bull would have trampled her. Poppy, tell them. Who pushed you?"

Poppy burst into loud sobs.

She pointed a tiny finger straight at Simon, completely certain. "Papa, Mom, it was him! That bad guy was mad at me for putting the red cloth on him, so he waited until you weren't looking and pushed me into the ring so the bull would kill me!"

Simon's eyes widened in shock.

"Poppy, who taught you to lie like that? I've been in my room all night. I never even left."

Jeremy's voice trembled. "Lying? Simon, are you saying I taught Poppy to lie?"

The moment he finished speaking, Eleanor cut in. "That's impossible.

"I've watched Jeremy raise Poppy like his own all these years. He would never teach her to lie."

Kevin nodded quickly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Exactly. Jeremy's such a good guy. How could he ever bring himself to hurt Poppy? Now that I think about it, I did see someone sneaking around near the ring earlier. He looked a lot like Simon."

Simon stood frozen, the light in his eyes fading little by little.

Marian rushed over and pinched his arm viciously. "Shame on you. You've humiliated this whole family!

"Ever since you found out about Jeremy and Eleanor, you've gone after Jeremy again and again. You're bullying a dying man and a little girl. How did I raise someone so heartless and ungrateful?"

The pain in his body and his heart exploded all at once, and Simon's eyes stung with tears.

His voice came out rough and strained. "I didn't do it. I didn't do anything. I..."

"Enough!"

Eleanor, who had been frowning the entire time, suddenly raised her voice, and her eyes turned completely cold.

"Simon, everyone here is pointing at you. What excuse could you possibly have left? If you're never going to change and you refuse to back down, then I'll throw you into the ring myself and teach you a lesson you won't forget."