Chapter 4

Ella gazed at me in a daze. Her lips twitched as if she meant to speak. Then, she shut her eyes in utter hopelessness.

Mom and Dad completely broke down.

Mom lunged at me, clutching my collar while screaming hysterically. "Do you realize what you've done, Zack? You allowed Henry—that good-for-nothing—to throw away everything the Fuller family owned!

"How are we supposed to live when we don't even have a place to stay? How are Ella and Chris supposed to live?"

In the meantime, the reporter trained the camera on me, leaving no detail of my expression unseen. "Do you regret it now? Do you regret sacrificing everything you had and destroying your wife and child's lives, all for the sake of your incompetent cousin, Mr. Fuller?"

Those watching the livestream bombarded the comment section with mean-spirited and mocking comments.

"That's karma right there! He got what was coming for him!"

"I don't pity him one bit. I just feel so bad for Ella and her son. I mean, they must have been cursed to end up with such a husband and cousin-in-law."

"It's been five whole years of sacrifices, and in the end, she's left with nothing and is even forced into homelessness alongside him. How devastating!"

In the midst of the chaos and blame, Jane led Chris inside. He seemed to grasp what was going on as he shuffled over to Ella and tugged at her sleeve. "Do we not have a home anymore, Mommy?"

Ella suddenly regained her senses and scooped Chris into a fierce hug, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry, Chris. I'm so useless for failing you."

She sobbed incessantly. Her cries were filled with despair and helplessness. They tugged at everyone's heartstrings. She looked up at me with a tearful gaze. Her eyes were red and brimming with anguish.

"Why are you doing this to me, Zack? Haven't I spent the last five years caring for you? I've worked myself to the bone, even if you don't appreciate it. Why do you hate me so much that you'd throw your own son and me out on the street?"

I let out a scoff, which sounded particularly abrupt and jarring in the silent hospital ward. I looked briefly at my shivering son and the judgmental crowd. I had been part of this performance for five years, and I thought that it was finally time to end it.

I fixed my gaze on Ella's gaunt, pallid complexion and stated deliberately, "You can drop the act now, Ella. You've been playing the part for five years now. Haven't you gotten tired of it?"

I didn't speak loudly, but my words struck like a lightning bolt, silencing the commotion in the hospital ward and leaving everyone stunned.

Ella suddenly tightened her arms around Chris. Her nails dug painfully into his flesh.

I paused briefly. My eyes swept across the room before locking onto the camera. "You want to see how she 'looked after' me for the past five years? You can go to Chris' kindergarten and retrieve the surveillance footage from the server.

"You'll understand everything once you watch any random footage from a Tuesday afternoon."