Chapter 2

“Obviously, it’s because you’re not their biological daughter. You’re afraid of being sent back, so you staged this whole thing!”

“Shut up!” Susan roared as she attempted to grab me, but I evaded her.

“Struck a nerve, did I?” I said coldly.

Mom snapped out of her daze too. “Susan, did you really…?”

“Mom! Even you don’t believe me?!”

Susan cried and said, “This is my home, and I had no idea this is his room now.

“I came here only because the showerhead in my room was broken. How could I have known that it’d become his room?”

When Mom heard this, she nodded. “It looks like a misunderstanding.”

Susan immediately backtracked. “No! He did it on purpose!

“If it’s just a misunderstanding, why didn’t he leave the room immediately? He tried to come closer and take advantage of me! Mom, look!”

She rolled up her sleeves and showed the faint marks on her arm. “Look. He did this. I had to fight desperately to get away! You… You have to stand up for me!”

She stomped her feet and cried uncontrollably. The marks on her fair arm were clear enough to make her look like a victim.

It seemed that I could not clear my name no matter how much I explained.

I took a deep breath. Facing my family’s wrath, I swallowed my anger and asked, “You claim that I took advantage of you. Is there any other evidence? I wanted to check the security footage, but you refused. Now, you’re accusing me of hurting you just based on these marks?

“You all injured me earlier. Can I also claim that you had bad intentions toward me?”

I showed my arm as well, and there were vivid red marks.

Then, I stared at Liam. “You made these, so you had bad intentions toward me!”

“Ridiculous! How could I take advantage of you? Reese Smith, you’re twisting words and being completely unreasonable!”

I spread my arms. “Yeah, you find it ridiculous too. So, how is it possible that I did that to her? I’m not even a man!”

Dad’s face turned red with anger. “You’re not a man? You’re not even human!”

“I told you! He’s lived in that place for over a decade, so he’s a complete gangster. You insisted on taking him back home. Look at what happened now!” he yelled at Mom again.

“You little punk! I’m going to kill you!”

He then raised his arm to punch me, but I immediately dodged. “If I touched her, wouldn’t my fingerprints be on her? Let’s call the police. We can go to the station and have her checked!

“If my fingerprints are found, say whatever you want, and I’ll accept it. You can even kick me out. But if they’re not found, we’ll see how you’re going to apologize to me!”

“You brat! Come here!”

“I’m not going over. You’ve wronged me. Today is my first day meeting you, yet you’re trying to beat me. I’m not going near you!”

Liam strode over and seized me by the arm instead. “Are you done causing trouble yet?”

I pointed at my nose in disbelief. “I’m causing trouble?”

“Who else? The moment you got back, you turned the whole family upside down. Susan’s my sister, my only sister. Remember this. If you have any inappropriate thoughts about Susan, I’ll be the first to make you pay!

“Don’t waste your breath on him, Dad. Just punish him. After that, we’ll throw him out!”

Dad nodded. He then began to push and shove me toward the stairs. Susan was still weeping in Mom’s arms, and I was so enraged that I could barely speak.

Their so-called punishment was to use a rattan cane, and it was about two fingers thick. If it struck me, I would be doomed.

I immediately said, “Mom, I’m your daughter. Are you just going to stand aside and watch them hurt me like this?”

Mom instantly gasped. “Reese, what are you talking about? You’ve made a mistake, and you’re still denying it. Do I not know whether I gave birth to a boy or a girl?

“That family stole you only because they wanted a son. It’s been so many years, and this is how you turned out? You still won’t admit your fault!

“Hit him hard!”