Chapter 1

My mother looked me up and down. Her eyes passed over my singed hair and the hideous scars on my face. Her voice softened with pity.

“If I had known things would turn out this way, I never would have let your father take you away. It’s all your father’s fault that you’ve been suffering like this.”

My expression grew even colder. “Ma'am, you don’t need to judge a stranger’s life. If you really have money to spare, why don’t you donate it instead?”

She looked like she wanted to say something more, but in the end, all that came out was a sigh. After a long silence, she received a phone call. Her gaze instantly softened the moment she saw the caller ID.

She turned around and walked away without looking back.

My sister, Phoebe Lane, noticed me staring at my mother from behind and said in a low voice, “Stop doing things this dangerous.”

I ignored her and began picking up my props one by one.

Phoebe stood by the entrance for a while, then left as well.

The others who had been brought in with me were released one after another. They asked with curiosity, “Do you know that city officer?”

Someone immediately corrected them, “City officer? That’s Officer Lane. She’s a decorated officer with three stripes on her shoulder. She's the eldest daughter of Victoria Lane, the billionaire, and her ex-husband.

“I remember now. Officer Lane mentioned in an interview that the reason she became a police officer was so that when she grew up, she could protect her father and younger brother.

“Back then, Victoria gave up on her family's business just to bring her ex-husband and son into the Lane family. She went out and built everything from nothing. She even said in front of the media that the people she could never let go of were her ex-husband and son.”

I let out a cold laugh and interrupted them. “If she really couldn’t let go, then why did she divorce him?”

They became even more eager to explain when they noticed how straightforward I was.

“If she didn’t love them, why would she tear up every time she mentioned them? She even uses her son’s drawing as her profile picture.”

“That’s right. Whenever Officer Lane goes on missions, she always wears the protection amulet her younger brother gave her.”

“Everyone knows they’ve always had regrets.”

I lifted my head and spoke calmly. “One of them faked a marriage certificate with her own husband. She would rather adopt the son of the man she loved than let her own biological son be registered in the family records. Her own son became undocumented and couldn’t even take the college entrance exam.

“Her husband worked five jobs a day just to survive. Her son grew up collecting bottles. Meanwhile, she lived in a mansion, celebrating the birthday of her lover's son.

“The daughter was taken back by the Lane family and grew up surrounded by luxury. But when her biological father came looking for her, she refused to acknowledge him because he thought she was embarrassing. She even beat him and threw him out.

“Every time she saw her younger brother being bullied at school by that man’s son, she did nothing. She even helped cover it up. She went so far as to give his scholarship away.”

The entire room fell silent.

Someone even gasped. “Wait, you are…”

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and calmly said, “I’m Officer Lane’s younger brother. I’m Victoria’s son.”

No one spoke anymore. However, they could not stop themselves from asking, “But didn’t you say that you…”

I did not answer anyone. I put on my mask, covering the terrifying scars on my face, and turned to leave.

With all the money I had earned that day, I bought a bouquet of white flowers and the cheapest little cake I could find. I went to the foot of the mountain. I lifted the wooden sign that had been blown over by the wind and wiped the dirt from it.

“Dad, I’m here to celebrate your birthday.”

After setting everything down, I cut the cake in half. The cake that used to taste sweet now carried a bitter aftertaste.

I whispered, “Dad, I saw Phoebe and Mom today. They still believe you’re alive even after all this time.”