Chapter 1

I opened my eyes and noticed a baby, still bundled in a blanket, placed right outside my doorstep. A handwritten note from my mother, Karen Brown, was pinned to the blanket.

"Damian, this is Uncle Jared's son, Matt. He's yours to look after for a few days."

I took in my surroundings, and a sudden, staggering realization washed over me—I had been reborn.

I was back at Ground Zero, the original starting point, where the perpetrator, the eventual killer, was still just a baby. It seemed like Heaven must have taken pity on me and given me another chance.

I swore that this time, those who hurt me would face the consequences. I resolved to cut off that family of leeches' chance to attach themselves to me before they even started.

I immediately executed a bold move—calling the police. "Is this the police? I'd like to report a case of child abandonment!"

Did they truly believe I would become their fool and shoulder the burden of raising that baby? That was utterly out of the question!

I tore and tossed away the handwritten note before I shouted to draw the attention of my neighbors. I intended to blow the matter up and make sure everyone knew about it.

They would serve as witnesses, confirming that I had no connection to the baby, that I was simply a law-abiding citizen doing what was right. I didn't see any note, as far as I was concerned.

It was a clear case of intentional infant abandonment, and the perpetrators simply chose my doorway as the drop-off point.

"How could anyone just abandon such a small baby?"

"How terrible! Why have a baby if you're just going to abandon him?"

"You truly have such a kind soul, Damian."

"That baby should be fine once the police get here, right?"

My neighbors' chatter instantly escalated into a flurry of mutual discussion. It wasn't long before a huge throng had amassed at my front door. After all, people were naturally drawn to drama.

They were key witnesses to this case of child abandonment. There would be official records once we got to the police station, and in the decades to come, the narrative would remain clear—the parents were the one who abandoned the baby.

I, on the other hand, had merely played the part of a good neighbor.

I looked at the baby bundled in the blanket and thought to myself, "Didn't you accuse me of raising you for my own selfish gain? Didn't you say that I was the one responsible for separating you from your parents? You'll learn the truth soon enough!

"You'll find out who was the one who really cast you aside and who was the true villain with the sinister intention!"

It wasn't long before the police officers arrived. I followed them to the station, along with the legion of neighbors. I hardly had to open my mouth; they were already clamoring, eagerly explaining the full story of what had happened from start to finish.

It wasn't a tough case to crack. All the officer had to do was check the surveillance camera at the entrance of the residential complex for instant proof. Plus, the blanket the baby was wrapped in constituted irrefutable physical evidence.

It wasn't long before the police officers brought Mom to the station.

Mom stormed over the moment she arrived, yelling at me, "Have you lost your mind? I made it clear I was only dropping him off for a couple of days! How could you involve the police, Damian?"

I didn't even have a moment to respond when the kindhearted neighbors stepped forward, hands planted firmly on their hips, and verbally lashed out at her.

"How dare you act like the victim when you're the one who abandoned a baby!"

"I know, right? How could you just abandon a newborn baby on a random doorstep? What if something terrible happened to the poor thing?"

"You don't think she's doing this on purpose, right, officer?"

In that instant, the station had dissolved into complete chaos. Mom realized the predicament she was in and frantically tried to get a word in with me.