Chapter 3

Her eyes turned bloodshot, and she bristled with anger.

The group of people fell silent in fear and quickly ran away.

Mom rushed to the bed and pulled the blanket tightly around me. “Yannick, don’t be afraid. I’m here…”

I slowly closed my eyes and turned away from her.

I was so exhausted that I didn’t even have the strength to expose their lame act.

“Yannick, I just want to make you happy. Who would’ve known those jerks would do this?

“It’s all my fault. You can yell at me…”

How ridiculous!

I turned around and buried my face into the pillow.

I refused to watch their performance. I would simply play along for the moment.

My skin felt like it was melting off. Then, I heard my mom crying on the phone and begging a doctor to come.

In a daze, my blanket was gently lifted off of me.

I was covered in open sores, black and red, and my skin peeled off in chunks.

“It’s too late. The burns from the chimney heat, combined with deep friction wounds, coal dust, and toxic residue, are embedded deep in the tissue. If we’d gotten rid of it earlier, there might’ve been a chance for him to recover.

“Now, the toxins are already past the surface of the skin, and it has caused systemic infection. He might develop sepsis or septic shock at any time.

“Even if he survives, we’ll have to cut out every inch of dead tissue and graft skin over every inch of his body. Even then, he has to spend the rest of his life on medication.”

Mom staggered, and her lips trembled.

“Why… Why would this happen…”

Rachel pulled at her hair and cried, “What are those useless maids even good for? Kick them all out tomorrow! Not a single one will be spared!”

She rushed to the bedside, grabbed my hand, and started crying.

“Yannick! You must hold on! I swear that I’ll take good care of you. You’re my only brother…”

Mom fell to her knees on the floor with a thud.

“Doctor, please save my son with the best medicine! Money is not a problem!

“You can use my skin for the grafting! You can take my blood!”

Was this not what they wanted?

The more they cried, the more disgusted I felt.

As the scalpel scraped across the adhesions and ulcerated flesh, excruciating pain swept over me like a tsunami, nearly rendering the anesthesia ineffective.

I bit down hard on the pillow as broken whimpers escaped my throat.

“Hold on,” the doctor said in a tight voice. “We must get rid of them all…”

The nurse leaned forward and wiped my sweat off. She leaned down and whispered to me, “Anything I can help you with?”

A warm tear dropped on the back of my hand.

This was actually the first tear I had shed since I got injured.

I asked her to send a message on my behalf.

The wounds finally started to scab over, and the threat of sepsis had finally passed.

However, the world outside the ward had changed.

The live-stream footage of me climbing up the chimney and zoomed-in shots of my burns were all over social media.

Mom filled the ward with New Year’s Eve limited-edition gifts and new releases from major brands.

She held a bowl of nourishing soup with trembling fingers and teary eyes. “Yannick, I made this soup myself. Please have some!”

“Mom…” I chuckled bitterly. “Is Jason going to propose to Wendy at the New Year’s Eve Party?”

The lid of the thermos slid off and hit the floor with a clang.

Mom’s smile instantly froze on her face. She was flustered as she wiped the floor clean. “Why are you bringing that up? The most important thing for you now is your health. I already contacted the top medical team. We’ll make sure you heal properly.

“Yannick, it was decided long ago that our family and the Jones family would declare the marriage at the New Year’s Eve party. You must understand that Jason’s fulfilling that promise on your behalf!”

She looked away and dared not meet my gaze.

I closed my eyes and smiled bitterly. Memories surged to the forefront of my mind.

When we first reunited, Mom kept me company for the whole night because I had a nightmare.

Rachel bought all kinds of gifts for me. She said she wanted to make up for all the holidays we had missed celebrating together.

Then, on my first birthday after I returned, Jason left a suicide note and ran away from home.

Mom was so worked up that she fainted, and Rachel went to look for him in a panic.

After that, everything changed.