Chapter 3

Mom stared at me with wide eyes and asked, "How could you compare yourself to Oliver? He was born frail, and it took us a lot of effort to improve his health. What if his health deteriorates again if he starts living in the dormitories with the other students, considering the poor conditions there?"

I fought to suppress my bitterness as I choked out, "Do you think the same won't happen to me?"

Mom hesitated for only an instant before replying, "When you were born, the doctor declared that you were perfectly healthy. On the contrary, Oliver was frailer and required extra care. We were sure that if we sent you back to our hometown, Dorothy wouldn't treat you badly.

"And look—you're strong and healthy right now. Why wouldn't you be able to withstand the conditions in the dormitories?"

Dad piped in from the side. "That's right, Owen. You're not a child anymore, so it's about time you grow up a little. You're not going to compare yourself to Oliver over every little thing, are you?"

Feeling both angry and aggrieved, I skipped out on lunch that day out of spite.

It wasn't until night fell that Mom knocked impatiently on my room door.

"Owen Stewart! I'm only going to summon you this once. It's wrong for children to throw tantrums. If you refuse to eat dinner this time, you can forget about calling me 'Mom' from now on."

I cautiously opened the door to find my parents and Oliver eating heartily together, enveloped by a harmonious atmosphere.

After a long hesitation, I decided to join them.

Seeing my bloodshot eyes, Oliver took the initiative to suggest, "How about Owen and I sleep in the same bed so he can stay with me?"

Mom immediately replied anxiously, "That won't do! What if Owen ends up pushing you off the bed? What if he hogs the blankets and causes you to catch a cold?"

Oliver, as if realizing he'd said the wrong thing, abruptly glanced at me before shutting up.

I lowered my head in upset, but out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the smug gleam in Oliver's eye.

I couldn't help but look up to stare intently at him, but he immediately switched to a gentle expression.

I ended up living in the dormitories after all. I would never forget that 12-person room with no air conditioning and two creaky fans.

The hardest part to endure was showering. The bathroom didn't come with a shower head, so I had to fill buckets of hot water for use.

In order to avoid being late for class, my other dormmates would align their shower times. Back then, there was only one bathroom per dorm room, so some would bathe in the bathroom while others would bathe on the balcony.

There was another building located right across from the balcony, so they would be seen if they bathed standing upright on the balcony. As such, they would rinse themselves with water in a squatting position.

However, because I used to be shy and a little unsophisticated, they never really wanted to bathe with me.

Although one of my roommates did hesitantly ask me about joining them, I could tell that he wasn't sincere.

So, I would always take a cold shower after evening classes.

In the winter, I would shiver throughout my shower.

Fortunately, my physical education exam had been right around the corner, so I would go jogging to keep up my physical fitness from time to time.

Thanks to that, I encountered no major issues despite catching a few colds.

Still, I never wanted to go back to that time.

…

I was sitting in my room when I heard noises coming from outside.

Elena had already sent our children to school before heading for work herself, so only my parents and I were home.

I got up to cook Mom and Dad some noodles. Once they were done washing up, I called them over for breakfast.

Mom was delighted.

"You're still as sensible as ever," she commented.

Dad looked similarly gratified.

I nodded offhandedly, unwilling to say more.

Once they were finished eating, I finally began, "Mom, Dad, it was getting late last night, so I didn't want to upset you, but I'll be frank with you today. I don't mind you two staying over for a few days, but I'll feel discomfited if you stay here indefinitely.

"I've talked things over with Oliver, who'll be picking you up in a few days."

Mom immediately paled, and Dad's expression soured as well.