Chapter 3

When Alan and Margot arrived at Mr. Freeman's office, I saw them slip an envelope into his hand. Only then did I realize that Mr. Freeman had been doing this for money.

The three of them looked at me as if I were a sinner.

"Marcel, we've taken good care of you all these years. Why are you trying to get back at us?"

"You may not be our son, but you've always had the same food, clothes, and shelter as Henry. What exactly are you still unhappy about?"

Their words rained down on me without mercy.

Mr. Freeman, beside them, seemed to think they were being too harsh, so he stepped in. "Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester, don't rush to blame Marcel. I suggest you take him to the hospital for a check-up.

"If there's something wrong, it's better to intervene early."

As he spoke, he pointed to his head, implying that there was something wrong with my mind.

However, Alan and Margot didn't seem to care at all. They chose to believe that my unusual behavior stemmed from jealousy of Henry.

So, they ignored Mr. Freeman's words. After leaving the school, they never mentioned the incident again.

That night, I saw Leon return from his trip. He had brought back souvenirs and was happily handing them out to everyone in the family—except me.

"Henry and I sent you to the basement so you could reflect on your mistakes," he said. "But look at you. Not only didn't you learn anything, but you even became more audacious, spewing nonsense in class."

"So, why didn't you just lock me up for another day?" I asked stubbornly, refusing to let it go.

"I told you guys then that if you'd just locked me up for another day, I would've died the next day. You could've buried me anywhere, and no one would've known."

I watched their expressions shift with every second, assuming that they were worried others would discover my disappearance. But I quickly dismissed that thought.

No one in this world truly cared about me.

"Don't worry," I told them. "I don't know my biological parents. No one will report me missing. Why don't you put me back in the basement now? We can do another seven… No, make it ten days."

Ten days should do the job.

I waited for their response, but the luxurious living room fell into a long, suffocating silence.

Margot came over and gently cupped my face, her eyes filled with unmistakable tenderness tempered by a hint of caution. "Marcel… Do you really think that way?"

Great! They finally realized that I wasn't being sarcastic!

I nodded frantically, yet what came next was a warm embrace from Margot. She pulled me into a bear hug. "Marcel, you weren't like this before. What happened to you?"

I grew up surrounded by the Sylvesters' love. I was cheerful, optimistic, and full of life. Everything changed the day Henry returned.

He shared their blood and, without doing much, had won their favor.

When Henry said that I had stolen the reunion gift meant for him, Margot pushed me down and warned me to stop being greedy.

When he said I had told him to get out of the family, Alan made me kneel outside the door for an entire night, saying I had no right to bully his son.

When Henry claimed I had led the class in isolating him, Leon personally came to confront me outside the school gate, demanding to know why I had behaved like a street thug.

…

Whatever Henry said, the Sylvesters believed. The drama was endless.

I leaned into Margot's embrace, listening to her pounding heartbeat, and shifted uncomfortably. Then, I pushed her away. She was stunned to see me react that way, and her arms hung awkwardly midair.

My gaze swept across everyone in the living room before finally landing on Henry. "See what I just did to your mom? Now, can you stop thinking I'm trying to steal them from you and stop badmouthing me to our classmates?"