Chapter 3

Charlie's POV

Mom pushed Declan through the front door, her expression hardening after noticing the deserted living room. She then called out toward my room. "Charlie! Charlie Jensen!"

She muttered a curse under her breath when no one answered. "That damn kid is probably sleeping in again. He might as well just sleep himself to death."

Declan quickly tried to placate her, saying, "You should just let Charlie sleep a little longer, Mom."

Upon hearing that, Mom stopped complaining and put the groceries she was holding into the fridge. She took out a box of gourmet cupcakes from the grocery bag and passed it to Declan, comforting him with a gentleness I had never once experienced.

"I bought you your favorite blueberry cupcake, Declan, so hurry up and eat it. Make sure Charlie doesn't see it."

Declan happily accepted the cupcake, a sweet smile spreading across his face. "Thanks, Mom."

Mom gently patted Declan's head and said, "I wish Charlie were even half as good as you are, Declan. You should take your time and enjoy it. I'll make your favorite honey-glazed ribs for dinner tonight!"

Declan happily nodded his head repeatedly.

Mom walked into the kitchen and started making dinner.

I felt my blood run cold when I watched the heartwarming scene. Mom had never treated me with such gentleness, nor had she ever brought home cakes for me. She truly loathed me.

It wasn't long before the delicious aroma of cooking drifted out of the kitchen.

Dad had also returned home from work. He noticed that Declan was the only one in the living room, so he asked, "Where's Charlie?"

Mom called out impatiently from the kitchen, replying, "He's still in bed."

Having said that, Mom turned around and headed into the kitchen to bring out the dishes.

Dad smiled helplessly, walked over to my bedroom door, and knocked on it gently. "It's time for dinner, Charlie."

Hearing no response after calling my name twice, Dad furrowed his brow and slowly reached for the door to head inside.

"Charlie Jensen!" Mom's furious scream suddenly rang out from the kitchen, causing Dad's hand to stop midway as he was about to open the door.

Mom later stormed out of the kitchen with a black plastic bag in her hand and slammed it onto the dining table. That bag contained all the injections I had hidden for a month, every single one of them still unused.

Dad withdrew his hand and walked over to the dining table, his brow furrowing deeply when he got a clear look at that bag stuffed with unused injections.

Mom stood with her hands on her hips, screaming furiously at my tightly closed bedroom door. "I knew he was up to no good! It's no wonder he offered to give himself the shots a month ago! It turns out he was hiding the medicine all along! He still hasn't learned his lesson!

"Come out here right now, Charlie!"

There was a dead silence inside the room.

"Have you gone deaf? Get out here and own up to what you did, Charlie!"

There was still no answer.

Mom's temper flared even more. She rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the feather duster from behind the door, and marched straight toward my room.

Dad hurriedly reached out and held her back. "Calm down, for goodness sake!"

He pulled Mom back to the dinner table, frowning as he tried to reason with her. "You should calm down first."

He glanced at the bag of injections, looked at Mom, and said grimly, "He's been getting these shots for five years, and he has been in a wheelchair for five years. It's time for this punishment to end. Do you really want him to spend his whole life in a wheelchair?"

With that, Dad glanced at my closed bedroom door and lowered his voice before continuing, "You care about Declan even if you don't feel sorry for Charlie, right? Is Declan supposed to sit in a wheelchair at home and keep up this act for the rest of his life too?"

Upon hearing Declan's name, the fury in Mom's eyes wavered slightly.

Dad pressed his advantage, saying, "Let's just take this chance to stop the medication for good and let them both live normal lives. Charlie probably didn't know any better since he was just five years old then. He's already ten years old now, so if you just talk to him reasonably, he'll understand."

Mom remained silent, offering no rebuttal.