Chapter 4

Not waiting for me to answer, Selena continued, "It was because of Aaron."

She stood up and gazed down at me imperiously. "Back then, Aaron was burdened with guilt over you being sent to the orphanage."

Pausing, she shifted her gaze from me to Aaron.

"To help him resolve the feelings weighing on him, I sought you out at the orphanage and purposely treated you well, all so you would be utterly loyal to me. I wanted you to feel indebted to me and be as subservient as a follower for the rest of your life, thereby proving that everything was your fault.

"As for why? Because people like you were never meant to have the light. You only deserve to be trampled underfoot."

I felt like I had been struck by thunder, my mind going blank.

As it turned out, those 15 years of pulling me out of the dark, the warm milk on sleepless nights, the flashlight held over my textbooks…

None of it had ever been out of love.

It was all just part of a game to please Aaron, a game that lasted for 15 entire years.

"Take him back to the hospital so he doesn't affect Aaron's mood."

Before I could regain my composure from that shocking revelation, Selena left orders for her bodyguards before turning to leave with Aaron.

Two bodyguards approached me and lifted me to my feet by the arms.

I didn't struggle, not even having the energy to so much as twitch a muscle.

After I was brought back to the hospital, I was tossed onto the bed.

When a nurse came in to check on me and spotted the glass shards in my back, she gasped.

"How did you get so hurt?"

Instead of answering, I simply stared up at the ceiling with unblinking eyes.

I didn't know how much time had passed before the room door swung open again.

"Caleb Lindt!"

It was my mother.

Twisting my head, I saw her and my father standing at the door.

Mom rushed over and landed a slap right on my cheek.

"You selfish boy! Did you purposely get yourself hurt so that you could frame Aaron? You're trying to make everyone think he's a ruthless person, aren't you?"

Staring at the scowling woman before me, I finally screamed back, "Aaron was the one who pushed me all those years ago! This time around, it was also he who told Selena to break my leg!"

"You're spouting nonsense!"

Mom raised her hand again, but Dad stopped her.

He shot me a disgusted look as he said, "Aaron is your biological older brother. Why would he want to harm you? Ms. Surrey told us that there was something mentally wrong with you, and from the looks of it, she's right."

In an instant, all the energy drained from me.

The same thing was happening again.

15 years ago, no one had believed me.

15 years later, they still didn't believe me.

"Call the nurse over to sedate him," Selena's voice sounded from the doorway.

Nobody knew when she had arrived, but she was currently leaning against the doorframe with a cold expression.

"He's emotionally unstable and needs to rest."

The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the middle of the night, alone in the hospital room.

My phone had been placed on my bedside table, so I reached over to grab it and dial a number.

"Hello, I would like to make a police report."

I kept my voice soft, not wanting to alert the nurses out in the corridor.

"Selena Surrey deliberately tried to kill me by setting up a car accident. With my leg broken, I can't even sit for my SAT."

Two police officers came in no time to question me about the case.

However, I was barely halfway through my story when Selena entered and calmly said, "I'm sorry, sirs, but my brother here was in an accident and was traumatized by the event. The mental stress resulted in him becoming paranoid and thinking that everyone is out to get him."

Handing the police officers a document folder, she continued, "Inside here is a confession letter by the drunk driver responsible for the accident and a compensation agreement. He's already admitted to the crime.

"Besides that, there's also a record of all the psychiatric medications my brother is taking. He's been seeing a psychiatrist all the while, but he hasn't been doing too well recently and is always letting his thoughts run wild."

The police officers accepted the folder and flipped through the papers, then they glanced at me.

I watched their expressions change and felt my body go cold.

"Mr. Lindt, please get enough rest and stop overthinking things."

"She's lying! You have to believe me!"

I desperately wanted to chase after them, but I couldn't even walk steadily on my own two feet, which only made me seem even more like a madman.

After the police officers left, Selena locked the room door before taking out a metal chain. Fastening the shackle around my leg, she secured the other end to the hospital bed.

A complex look flickered across her eyes as she leaned over to pat my face.

"Since you're being so disobedient, you'll just have to remain here until Aaron finishes the exam. Do cooperate."

With that, she left, shutting the door behind her.

I looked down at the shackle around my leg, then slowly slipped my hand under my pillow, where I had hidden a glass shard from earlier.

A second later, the glass shard was resting on the skin of my own wrist.