Chapter 2

Vincent crouched before me and patted my dirt-streaked face. "There's going to be a private birthday celebration at the Jacobson residence tomorrow evening, and they're short of a party clown. Mr. Jacobson has requested your services.

"If you do well and make him happy, I'll not only overlook this complaint, but also pay you twice the wages we docked from your paycheck and the 200-dollar tip."

I shook my head instinctively. "No… I'm not going…"

Vincent snorted. "Fine, don't go. But your reputation in the industry will be ruined. I'll leave you to consider your chances of finding a new job after that."

Two security guards charged forward, grabbed me under my arms, and dragged me to the back door. They roughly tossed me beside the bags of trash in the back alley.

There was a sudden raging downpour, and rainwater soaked through the flimsy fabric of my clown costume.

I lay in the muddy water and glanced at my prosthetic leg, the rusty rod inside it exposed through a crack. A hopeless chuckle escaped me as the doctor's warning rang in my ears. "Best get that crude prosthetic leg replaced if you want to live longer! Scrimping on it will only kill you."

My tears, mixed with rainwater, trickled into my mouth. I gagged on the bitter taste of them.

It didn't matter what job I did for the last seven years, for I'd be fired without reason on the second day of work. I knew that Darren had never wanted me to have it easy, but I swallowed my pride once again for the sake of living.

The next evening, I limped into the Jacobson residence in the still-damp clown costume, my body burning with a high fever.

"Hey, look! It's the limping clown!" Laughter erupted from the crowd.

Mom glanced over her shoulder upon hearing this. A trace of sympathy and astonishment flashed in her eyes when she registered my pathetic state.

"Ethan, you've finally come to apologize…"

She reached out as if to steady me, but the next second, her hand froze in mid-air when she noticed my pronounced limp. Her gaze turned icy and contemptuous at once.

"This act again?" Mom drew her hand back and eyed me frostily. "You played the victim just like this seven years ago, too, and deceived all of us. And what happened next? You shoved Darren off the edge of the cliff! He almost died there!

"Why do you despise him so much that you'd go to lengths to kill him? Fortunately, Darren's a plucky one and survived the fall. And thank God we got to see your true colors!"

I stopped wanting to explain myself. What was the point when no one would believe that Darren had orchestrated everything that happened all those years ago?

When I hung my head and stayed silent, Mom suddenly raised her voice, which was full of hateful anger. "It's been seven years since you left home, Ethan, yet you'd rather stoop beneath your station and serve others than apologize to Darren?

"You're my biological son. Were you hoping I'd feel sorry for you if you became this pathetic version of yourself? Stop looking so dispirited before you ruin the mood!"

My fingers grazed the cold surface of my prosthetic leg as I said expressionlessly, "If only you'd made the effort to look into the incident years ago, you would have known that I—"

At that moment, Darren interjected and cut me off, "Mom, thank you for the birthday present. I love this puppy you got me!"

He made his way down the spiral staircase, dressed in a well-tailored white suit. In his arms was a poodle, its fur finely trimmed.

Mom whirled to look at Darren, gentle indulgence filling her gaze. "You look so handsome today, sweetheart. I'm glad you like the puppy. It'll keep you company on most days while I'm busy with work."

However, when she turned to face me again, her face was etched with impatience. "You'll be on your best behavior tonight and give Darren and his friends a good time, understand? I'll let you come home once you apologize to Darren after the party."

With that, she spun on her heels and returned to her bedroom without sparing me so much as a backward glance.