All Chapters of Like a Child With a New Lease on Life: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry."I kneeled in front of my parents at the doorstep, mechanically repeating the vows I had practiced countless times."I've realized my mistakes. I swear from now on, I will treat Jake well. Everything will be about him first. He's the best. He comes first. His life is more important than mine."As soon as I finished speaking, the director Arthur Black's voice rang out, "Cut!"This transformation reality show had finally wrapped up.Arthur said it was over, but I remained kneeling without getting up.Mom and Dad, on the other hand, were beaming as they shook Arthur's hand, thanking him."Thank you for teaching Logan so well. Once the show airs, we'll definitely have all our relatives and friends watch."Arthur smiled and turned to me. "Logan, remember to get along well with your family from now on."As he spoke, he came over to help me stand up, but I flinched at the sight of his hand and instinctively backed away.His hand froze in midair. Seeing that, Da

Chapter 2

I couldn't fight back, or I would face severe punishment—being restrained and given harsh physical discipline.Afterward, I had to hurt myself and apologize in front of the camera until Arthur nodded in approval.Remembering those past events, I immediately knelt and started banging my head against the floor in desperation. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have bullied Jake. It's my fault. I deserve to die!"I kept banging my head and didn't dare stop, even as my forehead bled.Seeing me continuing, Mom and Dad stood frozen.It was Mom who couldn't bear it any longer and walked over to try to help me up.But Jake suddenly started sobbing and said, "Mom, Dad, don't blame Logan. It's all my fault for making him hate me so much that he could even hurt himself."Dad's face instantly turned dark with anger. "You did nothing wrong. He was the one who bullied you first!"He came over and pulled me up from the floor. "Stop wasting time here. We have an appointment to pick

Chapter 3

The door to my room soon opened."Logan, breakfast is ready."I dragged myself out of the room on my trembling legs. The dining table was covered with all sorts of dishes, and the guests had already sat down.I looked at Mom. "Can I eat now?"Mom seemed confused. "Of course. You're making it sound like we didn't let you eat."As soon as she finished speaking, I rushed into the kitchen and started devouring from the trash can. But all I found in there was kitchen scraps.Everyone stared in disbelief as I stuffed fish scales, rotten vegetable leaves, and eggshells into my mouth. Their faces were filled with disgust.A hand grabbed my collar and yanked me up.I looked up to see Dad's face turning an angry shade of blue. "Who taught you to eat this stuff?"He slapped me hard across the face and roared, "Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?"I didn't react, just numbly swallowed the "food" in my mouth.Mom tried to get closer, but the fishy smell clinging to me made her sto

Chapter 4

Then, I heard Dad raise his voice. "He's just so different from Jake! I'd rather just have Jake as my child! Look at Logan. What does he do except cause trouble? Jake has always been thoughtful to us, yet Logan just hates him, causing nothing but chaos!"Mom sighed deeply. "I've thought about whether I should send him away... How about this? When we go to the premiere tomorrow, we'll ask Mr. Black if he can continue training Logan. We'll pay whatever it takes."Her words crushed the last shred of hope I had.I collapsed onto the floor, staring blankly at the door.I had been fooling myself.Mom and Dad had long since given up on me, just like how the memories of our family of three were carelessly thrown away in the utility room.The next morning, they let me out and put me in clean clothes.I stared blankly, showing no reaction whatsoever.Jake worriedly spoke up. "What if Logan hurts someone on the way?"Upon hearing that, Dad immediately grabbed a rope and tied my hands tog

Chapter 5

Third-person POVLogan was dead.Abby Cooper, his mother, fainted when she saw the pool of blood outside.Keegan Ewing, his father, stared in shock at the body that suddenly felt unfamiliar to him for a long time, unable to speak.When the police arrived, Logan was quickly covered in a black body bag.One of the officers asked, "Are any family members present?"After several attempts, there was no response.It wasn't until the police car was about to leave that Keegan snapped back to reality. He hurriedly spoke as he held the unconscious Abby in his arms. "We're his parents!"The officer glanced at him, confirming, "You're the father of the deceased?"The word "deceased" made Keegan's face turn even paler. He nodded, terrified.The officer said, "Come with us, then. We need to take your statement."Keegan nodded, ready to call Jake, but when he turned around, he saw his usually well-behaved son taking pictures of his dead brother's body.Seeing Jake's bright smile made Keeg

Chapter 6

Reuben's expression was far from the friendly one he wore at the premiere. Instead, it was twisted into a grotesque snarl."What the hell's wrong with you pigs? Don't want to eat? Do you want to start a rebellion?"The teenagers huddled together, trembling.Reuben clicked his tongue and spoke in a certain direction. "Mr. Black, they won't eat. How should we edit this part?"Arthur's impatient voice echoed in the video. "Just hit them. Those animals will listen after a few rounds of beating."Reuben grinned and said to the boys in the pigpen, "Heard that? Mr. Black told me to do it!"With that, he moved to grab one of the boys. But before he could, a hand moved faster, pulling the boy behind."We're human. We don't eat pig feed."The familiar voice froze Keegan in place. Then, he saw the person blocking Reuben.That was none other than Logan.Unlike the hollow-eyed version Keegan had seen at home, this Logan had fire in his eyes.He was wearing what could be considered clean

Chapter 7

But why did Logan leave this world without a trace of hesitation?Abby couldn't understand it, no matter how much she thought about it. What could have made him so resolute that he would jump from the rooftop?What had he gone through, and what had she done wrong?After all, he was her child, the one she carried for nine months.How could her child not want her anymore?Abby covered her face and broke down in tears on the floor.…This was the most silent meal the Ewing family had shared in years.The square dining table had four seats. Keegan and Abby sat in a row, while Jake sat across from them. The empty seat next to Jake would remain vacant forever.Abby stared at that empty seat, lost in thought.Jake's eyes flashed with frustration.He had thought that once Logan was gone, his parents would only have eyes for him and love only him.But he didn't expect that the dead would hold a bigger place in their hearts than the livingJake gritted his teeth in anger, but he cou

Chapter 8

Just as Jake was about to explain, the doorbell rang.Keegan walked over and opened the door.The group of police officers he had seen at the hospital stood on the doorstep.When he saw their serious expressions, his face grew tense as well.The lead officer spoke first. "Hi, is Jake here? We need to speak with him about something."…The news of a 16-year-old boy jumping from the TV station rooftop became the headline story covered by every media outlet in the following days.Later, with the police's official statement, the incident escalated into a major social scandal.How could a reality show that treated people like livestock, subjecting them to inhumane torture, ever exist?Why were so many victims sent into hell by their own parents and siblings?The topic stayed at the top of trending lists on social media.Behind every "Logan" was a family tragedy soaked in blood and tears.Amid calls for the show to be taken down and a full investigation into those involved, Arthu

CHapter 9

Jake laughed manically until the prison guards took him away.…It was a clear, sunny day when Abby arrived at the cemetery to visit Logan.She gazed sorrowfully at his gravestone. The photo on the gravestone was of Logan, nervously looking out.It had been taken when he had just come home. At that time, he was so shy and cautious around the family. When they were trying to take a new family photo, he refused to be in it, so in the end, they had to take a separate shot of him.At the time, Abby didn't understand why he was like that. Now, seeing the photo made her heart ache. She regretted not insisting on a photo of them smiling together."I'm sorry. I never spent enough time with you, Logan. I didn't know what you liked or what made you unhappy. If only I had known what you were thinking…"Tears slid down Abby's cheeks as she pressed her forehead against the gravestone."I really miss you. Logan, can you come back and see me?"Abby took out an old photo that was stained with

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