All Chapters of The Forgotten Son: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Despite my flesh rotting away, my soul did not dissipate. I experimented a bit and found that my soul could only stick close to my mother, Jean, or my brother, Tanner. The sight of my body didn’t draw tears out of Jean Blue. Instead, she froze for a moment before giving Tanner a call. Like a child who did something wrong, she was eager to find someone to lean on. “Graham’s dead.“His belly had sunk in. I locked him in the cellar and forgot to bring him food. He starved to death. “Do you think Graham hated me during his last moments?” Did I hate Mom? After my father’s untimely death, Jean, just a woman living in the village, struggled to raise Tanner and me. From a single bowl of oatmeal, Tanner got the thickest oats, I got the running portion, while Jean made do with whatever was left.I resented her favoritism, but I could never hate her, seeing that she raised me all these years. “Mom, you don’t have to feel bad for Graham. I bet he starved himself out of retaliatio

Chapter 2

My daily routine from the moment I woke up was to prepare breakfast and tidy up the house before heading to school. Upon my return home, I would head straight to the field to weed the crops and gather firewood up on the mountain for cooking and heating. Meanwhile, Tanner would be glued to his second-hand gaming console while lying in bed the moment he got back from school. Jean would tell him every day how hard he worked, promising to buy him a real treat once the pigs were sold. Tanner and I were fraternal twins. Aside from our differing appearances, the physical disparity between us became more obvious with time. When Tanner hit 5’7”, I was stuck at 4’11”.Due to severe malnutrition, I developed incurable stomach issues before the age of fourteen. The constant state of hunger didn’t end until high school. At the time, the government paved roads to our village and carried out poverty relief efforts. Life became better for everyone. Snapping out of my thoughts, I saw Jean

Chapter 3

Jean reached out and brushed her fingers against my cold face. She tore into me, her voice cracking, “Why did I give birth to a moronic thing like you? Tanner is still young. What’s wrong with putting him first? Why must you be so fragile about the whole thing and unalive yourself?” I smiled wryly to myself. For the past eighteen years, I had given way to Tanner in everything, whether it was resources or recognition.It didn’t make sense to me that I should surrender my only chance at changing my destiny to Tanner because Jean said so. “Mom, I wish I could bring home a college graduate as your daughter-in-law, but my grades aren't good enough for that.“I’m so jealous of Graham. Sure, he’s not a great son to you, but he excels in school. He really makes you proud. “I’m not like him. I’m just a loser. “I don’t see the point in going on.” With her heart going out to Tanner, Jean made up her mind right there and then to let him take my place at college. From that moment o

Chapter 4

A wave of powerlessness overwhelmed me.Jean had no idea that the healthy kidney in her body was from me. It was pointless for me to explain, as Jean operated on her own logic and never once doubted Tanner. Once, Tanner cleaned out the family’s entire savings after getting into gambling while Jean was sick. All he had to say was, “I saw Graham slipping into your room.” Jean took his word for it. Convinced that I was the thief, she locked me out of the house and reflected on my behavior in the snow. The next day, I came down with a raging fever and nearly lost my life. I blamed her for that. Even though Tanner and I were her children, she would only heed his call. Still, I couldn’t leave her to die. She gave me life, even if she played favorites. Ultimately, I resolved to donate one of my kidneys to her. As I was severely underweight, the doctor determined that I was unfit to be a donor. I stuffed myself with food to gain some pounds. Even when my stomach cramped

Chapter 5

If Tanner didn’t cough up the money soon, the underground casino kingpin would not let him walk. The neighborhood women were full of praise. “Tanner is something else. He’s already starting a business. He must be making some serious money.” Tanner replied eagerly, “Yes, of course. With an investment of 200k, I can easily turn the money into a million bucks.” Proud, Jean held her head high. “Tanner is successful. Why don’t you each chip in 100 grand, and once the payments roll in, he’ll give you a nice cut.” The ladies were quick to shower compliments, but once money was involved, they were the first to back off. They made excuses and took off. Jean clicked her tongue. She ran her mouth. “What a bunch of snobs. They won’t even throw us a bone to help out.” Jean went home, arranged to transfer the land, and sold off many belongings before barely scraping together 50 grand. She started going around to borrow money. These days, everybody held onto their money tightl

Chapter 6

Jean’s breath hitched, and her hands shook violently. She looked at the doctor, her lips quivering. “What did you say? Can you repeat that?” The doctor was confused. “Don’t you know that your eldest son has a sweet potato allergy?” Ignorant of the pain and distress written all over Jean’s face, the doctor asked, “By the way, where is he now? I’ve stocked up on a new batch of allergy medication. He can just pop one of these if he mistakenly consumes sweet potatoes again.” It took a while before Jean found her voice. “He’s dead.” The doctor apologized awkwardly. “I’m really sorry. I had no idea.” To be fair, it wasn’t his fault. Fiddling with his fingers, the physician couldn’t keep his curiosity back anymore. Did he die from ingesting sweet potatoes?” Jean shook her head in a daze. Having lived through famine, she understood the brutal reality of starvation. Her knuckles went white from her tight grip, and her expression looked lost. She turned to the docto

Chapter 7

When Jean arrived home, Tanner’s call came through again. “Tanner, is that you?” “It’s me, Mom.” The sound of Tanner’s voice made Jean happy. She brushed her clammy palms against her pants, feeling excited and nervous. “How is business? Did you make a million bucks yet? You are so capable, making all that money in college. I bet the ladies are going to be jealous of me.” I went to check up on Tanner. Jean’s joy was premature. He raised the stakes on the betting table and lost more. “Mom, a friend set me up. I now owe half a million to my business associate. Only you can save me.” Jean staggered. She nearly took a fall. “I sold Graham’s body. Where am I supposed to pull together half a million?” Tanner proposed, “Don’t we own property, Mom? The title deed is right under your mattress. By selling the house, we should get at least a hundred grand.” Jean tucked her property deed and savings book beneath the mattress, but she never once relayed the information to T

Chapter 8

No matter what I did for Jean, Tanner would always swoop in to steal the glory. Jean sighed, the love in her eyes clear. “Silly boy. I won’t stop loving you over a coat.” Tanner said, “Mom, I don’t feel well. Can you get me the money soon? Once I clear my debt, I need to get a medical checkup. I get this throbbing pain where my kidney was.” Jean was thrown into a panic. She said, “Is it a complication from donating a kidney to me? Don’t worry. I’ll get you out of the mess even if it kills me.” “Thank you, Mom.” I snickered to myself. The unconditional love of a mother was something I never once experienced since I was born. Casting aside her difference with Helen, Jean agreed to everything she had to say so long as the latter would produce 400 grand. Consequently, Helen took Jean to the city. She put Jean up in a vacant apartment in some neighborhood. Helen said, “You should’ve left the village a long time ago. I don’t get what you were trying to prove to him b

Chapter 9

“It’s me, Mom. Please get the money and save me now!” Jean blew up. “My son is in college, working on his business venture. I doubt he owes that much money. You must be a scammer mimicking his voice. I’m calling the cops on you.” The other ladies chimed in. “It’s very telling that you’re the mother of a college student. If not for you, we’d think that Tanner was deep in debt.”Some echoed the same sentiment. Growing smug, Jean sneered, “Even though the scam artist did a good job copying Tanner’s voice, I knew right away he wasn’t my son.” She added. “Only Graham would whine like that.” I had grown numb to Jean’s double standards. When I was little, Jean would tear into me for being a crybaby who couldn’t set a good example as the eldest. If Tanner was the one in tears, she called it a sign of compassion and empathy.In Jean’s mind, the miserable weeping could only belong to me. Since then, I almost never cried in front of her. I would hide in the bathroom every ti

Chapter 10

Jean took the documents. The color drained from her lips when she turned to the first page. The private investigator was highly skilled, documenting everything from the banks Tanner used to withdraw the family savings, the casinos he frequented, the games he played, and exactly how much he lost at the table. By the third page, Jean broke down and hurled the papers to the floor. “That’s impossible. Tanner is the most sensible boy. He won’t steal my money.” Jean was pulled back to the difficult time. It was a blizzard outside the window as she lay in the hospital bed, waiting in despair for life to slip away. Her most beloved child, at her lowest point, stole the money meant to save her life. I, on the other hand, positioned my thumb in the cutting machine just to save her. Pain shot through every nerve.Jean buried her face deep into her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.“I’m sorry, my child.” For some reason, my heart remained still

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