All Chapters of Powerful Words: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I was locked in a storeroom with no windows.It was freezing, and I only had a wet shirt on.Outside, just beyond the wall, the living room was brightly lit. The comforting voice of the family doctor and Mom's scared sobs pierced my ears like poisoned needles.Late at night, the locked storeroom door clicked open.Jackie, dressed in a thick down jacket and holding a flashlight, looked down at me, who was stiff from the cold."Geez, Henry, why are you lying on the floor like a stray dog?"He had completely shed his weak and pitiful facade from earlier, his eyes gleaming with triumph."Do you want to know who put the peanut powder in the drink?"He squatted down, shining the flashlight directly into my eyes."It was me. I just wanted to see who's more important to Dad, Mom, and Violet: you, their biological son and brother, or me, who is adopted. Guess what? Even though you're related by blood, in their eyes, you're not even fit to carry my shoes!"My lips were purple from the

Mary was beaten bloody for speaking up for me and telling the truth.Seeing that, I could no longer keep the blood in my chest down, and I coughed it up.In order to stay in this so-called family, I pretended to be mute, enduring everything silently.But because of that, an innocent person was trampled on to protect a liar."Stop hitting her…" I struggled to get up.But Jackie was quicker. He knelt on the floor, sobbing."Dad, Mom, don't be angry. It's all my fault. Henry has gone through a lot, so it's only natural for him to hate me. Mary only lied for him out of pity. Please take back the agreement. I'll move out of the mansion tomorrow and give the position back to Henry as long as he doesn't poison me again…"Mom was heartbroken. She glared at me fiercely. "Look at your brother! Look how much he's willing to sacrifice for you!"Violet violently grabbed my collar, lifted me up, and threw me hard onto the coffee table. The edge of the glass table hit my forehead, and warm bl

Violet froze holding the lab report. Dad and Mom were also stunned, their eyes wide with shock.Just then, a nurse wheeled Jackie out of the emergency room, fresh from pre-op. He was conscious due to the intense pain and had clearly heard what the lab doctor said.Faced with undeniable evidence, a flicker of panic crossed Jackie's eyes, but he reacted instantly.Ignoring the searing pain in his legs, he lunged forward from the gurney and grabbed onto Mom's clothes, tears streaming down his face like a burst dam."Mom! I'm sorry... I lied... I'm not allergic to peanuts... I was simply too scared!"He cried his heart out, his voice trembling. "Ever since Henry came back, he's had all your attention. I'm not your real son, so I was scared you wouldn't want me anymore now that you had him... I had no choice but to pretend to be sick and take pills to fake an allergic reaction. I only wanted to see if you still cared about me..."He gripped Violet's wrist tightly, sobbing uncontrollab

A deathly silence fell over the lobby. Dad and Violet looked stunned, as if they had been slapped hard.Violet staggered back and bumped into a row of chairs."It can't be... He did it to himself?" she mumbled to herself.She recalled Jackie's pitiful cries outside the emergency room. He said he was testing their love for him, but who tests love by cutting themselves with a knife, then framing their brother and sending him to prison?It was no longer as simple as feeling insecure. He wanted Henry dead!Dad's hands trembled violently. He remembered how he had thrown a cup of scalding tea on me and how he had locked me in the freezing cold storeroom for three days.Yet, the real culprit was in their arms, basking in their affection.I ignored their mental collapse and walked straight out of the police station."Henry!"Dad suddenly came out of the door chasing after me, his voice filled with panic. "Henry, wait... I made a mistake. It's a misunderstanding."I stopped and turned

In the blink of an eye, it was spring again.The magnolias in the university town bloomed, and my kebab shop's business was increasingly prosperous.I no longer had to live in fear, pretending to be a mute every day, nor did I have to pander to anyone.These days of earning money honestly and breathing freely made my withered heart bloom again.At lunchtime, the shop was packed with students. A sweating delivery guy rushed in to pick up an order, but accidentally slipped at the entrance, spilling half a cup of freshly made milk tea.The young man's eyes were red with anxiety, and he apologized profusely on the floor. "Sorry, boss, I'll pay for this order. Sigh, there goes the entire morning's earnings..."I walked over, helped him up, and handed him a freshly made kebab. "No need to pay. I was actually craving milk tea myself. Eat the kebab while it's hot. Don't worry, you'll definitely get a few big orders this afternoon to make up for your losses."The delivery guy stared at m