Semua Bab A Step Back: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Those I had risked my life to protect, the family I had once cherished above all, all of them had betrayed me.This time, I would not make the same mistake.Richard stepped forward. Each stride was deliberate. His towering shadow fell over me, enveloping me.The air around us seemed to freeze.He did not say a word.He swung his hand with full force, slamming a harsh slap across my face.The slap sent me staggering, my lip tearing open, and blood flooding my mouth with a bitter, metallic taste.“If anything happens to my daughter, I’ll make sure your whole family pays!”He jabbed a finger at my nose. His voice was ice cold.Before I could steady myself, I heard my mother’s panicked cry from behind, “Henry!”My parents scrambled through the crowd, tripping and shoving, and when they saw the deadly tension, their knees nearly gave out.My mother rushed in front of me. Her eyes flickered when she saw the blood in my mouth.However, she did not ask if I was hurt.Instead, she

When my parents saw the scene, their expressions turned strangely relaxed, as though a huge weight had been lifted.It was as though I were not their son at all, but a problem that had been finally dealt with.Two police officers escorted me toward the squad car.I did not glance back at them once.The car door shut, cutting off all the noise outside.It was quiet in the car.The officer driving did not say a word. Sitting next to me was the middle-aged lead officer. He handed me a bottle of water. His tone was calm.“My name’s Simon Zinn. You can call me Officer Zinn.”“We went through your records. They’re clean. We really can’t believe that you would go and deliberately try to commit murder.”I lifted my head and met his gaze.There was not a trace of panic in my eyes and none of the fear an eighteen-year-old might feel.There was only a deep, bottomless stillness.Officer Zinn looked at me and frowned slightly.“We’ve obtained new evidence.”He paused for a moment,

What they were met with instead was one police officer after another, hurrying past with increasingly grim expressions.The anticipation on their faces slowly gave way to unease, then confusion.…Less than an hour later, news came back from the hospital.Evelyn was indeed pregnant.The baby was six weeks old.It was said that the moment Richard heard the news, he flipped the entire hospital room upside down, nearly losing his mind with rage.He immediately ordered a total media blackout.Still, it was too late.Officer Zinn had already obtained the hospital’s official medical report.Then the second confirmation arrived.The vehicle forensics expert summoned overnight by the police examined the truck involved in the crash and reached a conclusion that matched my description exactly.The brake system had been expertly and discreetly modified to fail on a timed delay.This was not an accident. It was murder!The direction of the investigation made a stunning one-hundred-an

One voice was Evelyn’s.The other was a young man’s — Jake Lowe.This recording had been captured in advance. I spent a thousand bucks hiring a locksmith to quietly open Jake’s car and slip a tiny recorder under his seat.It was my final gift to him.On the recording, Evelyn’s voice was sharp and venomous, a complete contrast to the fragile image she was projecting in front of the cameras at this moment.“This time, we have to make sure Henry can never get back on his feet. His expression was off when he saw us in the school alley that day. He definitely figured out something!”Jake’s voice soothed her, “Relax, Evelyn. I’ve taken care of everything. I’ve handled the truck driver, Tony. He’ll swear that it was Henry who orchestrated this.“And we’ll bribe that money-hungry younger brother of his to serve as a false witness, proving Henry stood by and did nothing.“Two crimes, served together. He’ll never get out of prison in his life.”The flashbulbs went crazy, aimed at Evelyn

“Having second thoughts now?“I’m just helping you finish what you started.”Their faces turned pale and then ashen, rendered speechless.In the end, when money was on the table, even that fragile bond of kinship could not withstand it.Their hands quivered as they signed their names on the agreement.I took the agreement, turned, and left without a trace of attachment.Behind me, their quarrels over money erupted into a fierce cacophony.Half a month later, I heard that Dylan was sentenced to one year in prison for perjury and defamation.My parents, trying to help him serve less time, spent the money I gave them on pleading with anyone who would listen.In the end, a con artist tricked them out of everything.They sold the only house they owned to pay off the debts.Finally, they were left to wander the streets.Some people saw them under the overpass, fighting with other homeless people over half a bun.As for me, I simply read about it quietly in the corner of a news r