Chapter 2

There was only half a jug of bottled water in the room and nothing to eat.

I was so hungry my stomach felt like it was burning, and I could only keep myself alive by drinking water.

Meanwhile, my phone was filled with their Instagram vacation posts.

On the first day, they ate lobster at a seafood shack. Mom had her arm around Evan, smiling so widely she could barely close her mouth.

The caption read, "Taking my precious boy out for a feast."

On the third day, they stood on a yacht, enjoying the sea breeze.

Sharon put an expensive necklace around Evan’s neck, and the comments were full of praise from their friends.

On the fifth night, the lock finally turned.

The moment the door opened, the harsh living room light was so bright I could barely open my eyes.

My whole family stood in the doorway, carrying bags and bags of souvenirs.

Evan walked up to me with a bowl of creamy seafood chowder he had just bought from the café downstairs.

"You must be starving, Edwin. I bought this just for you."

He held the bowl out to me and said in a voice only the two of us could hear, "Edwin, so what if you’re their biological son? All I have to do is shed a few tears, and Mom and Dad will treat you like a dog!"

I braced myself against the wall and stared at him coldly without reaching for it.

When I didn’t take it, Evan suddenly twisted his wrist, spilling the hot soup all over his own hand.

"Ah! Edwin, what are you doing? I was kind enough to buy you food. Why would you do this to me?"

He clutched his red, swollen hand and collapsed to the floor, sobbing loudly.

Sharon dropped her suitcase and rushed over, pulling Evan up in distress.

When she saw the blisters on his hand, her eyes reddened. She turned back and kicked me hard in the stomach.

I had already been starving for five days, and that kick sent me flying.

My back slammed heavily into the corner of the bed, and a sweet, metallic taste surged up my throat.

Mom rushed over, her eyes filled with pain and disappointment.

"I thought locking you up for a few days would make you reflect on yourself. I never imagined you were this rotten to the core!

“Evan was kind enough to buy you soup, and you actually poured it on his hand!"

Her gaze landed on the blessed silver charm bracelet around my wrist. She grabbed it and yanked it off by force.

"I climbed all the way up to the chapel to have that bracelet blessed for you. But someone as vicious as you doesn’t deserve to wear it!"

She smashed it hard against the floor, and the bracelet broke apart on the tile.

I dropped to my knees and picked up the broken bracelet.

That was the bracelet Mom had slipped onto my wrist herself when I first returned to the Lowe family, her eyes red as she said it would keep me safe for the rest of my life.

Dad pointed at me, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "I locked you up for five days, and you still haven’t changed! Today, I’m going to break your legs and teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!"

I clenched the broken charm bracelet tightly in my hand. The sharp edges cut into my palm, and blood began to flow.

Evan shrank into Sharon’s arms, crying as he choked out a plea.

"Dad, Sharon, please don’t blame Edwin... He was locked up for so many days. It’s normal for him to be angry. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have come over and upset him..."

Sharon hugged him even tighter, then turned and pointed at me viciously.

"Silly boy, how could this be your fault? This ungrateful brat just doesn’t know what’s good for him. He was born vicious!"

I clenched the shattered bracelet in my bloodied hand, looked at his fake, pitiful face, and let out a cold laugh.

"You’re really throwing yourself into this act. Aren’t you afraid your arm might actually rot, ooze pus, blister all over, and hurt so badly you wish you were dead?"

Sharon was so furious she raised her hand to slap me. "You still dare to make sarcastic remarks now?"

But before her slap could land, Evan suddenly let out a piercing scream in her arms.

"Ah! It hurts! My hand hurts so much!"

Blood blisters instantly swelled across the back of his hand.

In the blink of an eye, the blisters burst and began to ooze pus. The skin and flesh on his entire arm rotted away and peeled off, leaving it drenched in blood.

"How could this happen? It was only a little red just now!" Mom’s face turned deathly pale, and even her voice was trembling.

Evan rolled across the floor in agony, screaming miserably.

Sharon completely panicked. She scooped him up and rushed toward the door.

Dad was so anxious that sweat covered his forehead. As he followed them out, he slammed the front door shut and locked it from the outside.

"Once Evan’s hand is treated, I’ll come back and skin you alive!"

As the lock clicked into place, the frantic footsteps outside gradually faded away.