Chapter 4

The next day, Howard came to Mrs. Zimmer’s place looking for me.

When he saw I didn’t even have a proper bedroom, he nodded, clearly pleased.

“Caleb, why don’t you get on your knees and beg me? Maybe I’ll put in a good word with Mom and Dad and let you be a Moore again.”

He had always been like this.

He would take something I loved, then make me beg for it.

When I was little, Grandma gave me a stuffed animal. Howard snatched it from me and held it in his hands.

I cried so hard I could barely breathe. I dropped to my knees almost immediately.

But that still wasn’t enough for him.

He made me press my forehead to the floor and beg properly.

By the time my forehead was red and swollen, he was still smiling. Then he cut the stuffed animal in half and handed it back to me, enjoying every second of my breakdown.

I cried and told Mom and Dad.

But they always brushed it off with the same careless excuse.

“Howard was just joking.”

Thinking of that, I said calmly, “No thanks.”

To me, that house had never been a home.

It was hell.

Howard didn’t get the reaction he wanted, so he stomped off in frustration.

But I never expected Howard to stoop so low. He actually bribed Mrs. Zimmer’s daughter, Lily, to secretly take naked photos of me while I was in the shower.

I grabbed Lily by the wrist and went straight back to the Moore house.

When I walked in, there was a huge cake sitting on the table.

Mom was smiling.

“Howard moved up one spot on his exam this time. That’s wonderful.”

Howard gave an embarrassed little laugh.

“Mom, Dad, you’re being so nice to me. You’re making me feel bad.”

“You’re our son,” Mom said warmly. “Why would you feel bad?”

They were laughing as they cut the cake.

I stepped forward and shoved the whole thing off the table.

The cake crashed to the floor.

“Caleb, are you insane?” Howard screamed.

I slapped him across the face without a word.

Then I grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked hard.

Mom and Dad both froze in shock. Then they rushed over, digging their fingers into my hand and trying to pry me off him.

Mrs. Zimmer came out and froze when she saw us.

Then she looked at her daughter and asked in a panic, “Lily, what happened?”

Lily burst into tears.

“Howard told me he’d buy me a hair clip if I took pictures of Caleb in the shower.”

Mom and Dad clearly froze for a second.

They looked at Howard.

“Howard, did you really…”

Howard didn’t deny it.

He only clutched his scalp where I’d yanked his hair and started crying.

“Mom, Dad, it hurts…”

Even the way he cried looked perfect.

I stood there coldly as Mom pulled Howard into her arms. Then she looked at me with accusation in her eyes.

“Caleb! Maybe there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. Howard is so good-looking. Why would he need to take naked pictures of you?”

Apparently, being good-looking was Howard’s get-out-of-jail-free card.

I was so furious I almost laughed.

“A misunderstanding? His messages with Lily are still there, and you’re telling me this is a misunderstanding?”

Mom kept making excuses for him.

“What do a few messages prove? Besides, it’s not like we haven’t seen every part of you before. So what if a few naked pictures were taken?”

“Howard was only joking with you. Why are you taking it so seriously? You’re a guy. How can you be so petty?”

I never thought my parents’ favoritism could go so far that they couldn’t tell right from wrong anymore.

I had come here for an explanation.

I had wanted to expose Howard for who he really was.

But now I realized something.

Maybe Mom and Dad had known exactly what he was like all along.

They had simply chosen not to see it.

Maybe they had me just so I could become Howard’s toy.

It felt like all the blood in my body had turned cold.

With trembling hands, I picked up my phone.

“Hello… I need to report a crime.”