All Chapters of Nothing like Family: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

My friend, Taylor, sent me a photo. It was a family portrait without me. In it, my mom, my wife, and Jim Sullivan were all smiling happily.My heart ached so badly that I could barely breathe.My wife, Julia Stone, who had sworn to love me for the rest of her life, had a child with Jim, who was responsible for what happened to me.And my biological mom, Doris Moore, had only treated me well because of the inheritance my dad, Tom Sullivan, left me.They must have had such a hard time.Anger slowly rose inside me. I curled my trembling hands into fists and slammed them hard against my numb legs.Mom had just gotten home when the loud pounding caught her attention.She hurried over to me, her eyes full of concern. "Joshua, what on earth are you doing? Why are you hitting yourself?"Hearing the concern in her voice made my emotions even harder to control."Why did this have to happen to me? I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair!" I shouted.Seeing me break d

Chapter 2

Taylor sent me the address of a photo studio. I took a deep breath and put on a smile."Mom, I'm not tired," I said. "I just realized that we haven't taken a family photo since Dad died."When Julia gets back, let's go take one together. I know a photo studio with good reviews."Mom's gentle expression fell a little, and she grew visibly nervous. "Joshua, how do you know about this photo studio? Do you know someone who works there?"The suspicion in her eyes hurt me deeply. I even had the urge to confront her right then and there.Jim and I were both her sons. Why would she help him to hurt me like this?But even if I knew the answer, what would it change?The moment I decided to leave, I stopped caring."No. I just came across it online and thought it looked good," I replied.Mom studied me closely. Once she was sure I was acting normally, she breathed a sigh of relief.She tucked the blanket around my legs and looked at me affectionately. "Go get some rest. The doctor said

Chapter 3

As Mom spoke, she lowered her head and wiped away her tears.Julia glanced at me. She only spoke after she was sure I didn't seem angry."Doris, it's all in the past," she said. "Jim made a mistake, but he paid the price. I know you must miss him. Let's go see him on the anniversary of his death in three days."I forced a bitter smile when I heard that.My birthday was in three days.But ever since Jim faked his death, they had ignored my birthday every year on purpose.I was about to refuse, but Mom spoke first as she wiped away her tears. "No. Have you forgotten? It's Joshua's birthday in three days. We need to be with him."I froze, overwhelmed by mixed emotions.They had already been plotting against me. Why pretend to care now?Julia soon gave me the answer.She slapped her forehead and scolded herself. "What was I thinking? I even got Joshua a birthday gift!"Then she crouched down, took my hand, and looked at me with hope in her eyes."Joshua, there's hope for your b

Chapter 4

A flash of anger crossed Mom's face as well.It was the first time I had seen Jim in three years.A deep hatred rose inside me, and my hands trembled uncontrollably.I looked at Mom and Julia. Then I asked, even though I already knew the answer. "What's going on?"Julia avoided my eyes and said nothing.I looked at Jim and pretended to be shocked. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"Tears immediately filled Jim's eyes. "Joshua, I really almost died. I was young and foolish back then. I've truly regretted what I did all these years!"He apologized humbly, but he couldn't hide the smug look in his eyes.Mom couldn't stand to watch any longer and began to explain. "Joshua, we only found Jim a few days ago. We were worried about your surgery, so we didn't dare tell you."But Jim has lived in guilt over what he did for three years. He said he had to come see you."Julia also crouched down and gently tried to comfort me. "Joshua, your surgery is what's most important right now. Can w

Chapter 5

But Mom's love had faded after Dad died, with Jim having taken most of it long before.Julia took Mom's hand with a sad look on her face and slowly pulled it away from Rob's collar.Her voice was choked with emotion. "Doris, don't be sad. Maybe this is actually a relief for Joshua."After all, he's been paralyzed for three years. If he had to live that way for the rest of his life, maybe it would've been better for him to pass on."Rob looked disgusted, even though most of his face was covered by his mask.In his 30 years as a doctor, this was the first time he had heard something so outrageous.They were the ones who kept me from getting better, yet they were acting like they had done the right thing.How shameless.The mood among them was tense and gloomy.Jim approached them with Bobby in his arms.He suppressed his smile and put on a grieving expression. "Maybe Joshua didn't want to be a burden to us. We'll make sure he has a proper funeral and a grand farewell."He can

Chapter 6

"What a selfish ingrate. You spent three years taking great care of Joshua, and he isn't grateful at all!" Jim said.After hearing Jim's words, Mom's sadness over my death vanished at once.She suddenly began to resent me and felt that I had never truly treated her like my mother.She turned to Arthur. "Mr. Towne, Joshua is gone. We want to go through all the assets in his name now.Arthur gave a slight smile, his voice icy and formal. "No, you can't. You have no legal right to handle Mr. Joshua's assets.""That's impossible!" Julia's irritation was written all over her face. "He had me sign a property transfer agreement this morning. Mr. Towne, you were there too!"Arthur nodded. "I was, but what you signed wasn't a property transfer agreement. It was a divorce agreement!""What?" Julia and the rest stared at him in shock.Arthur took out the papers and handed them to Julia. "From the moment you signed it, your marriage to my client, Joshua Sullivan, was legally over."Natu

Chapter 7

I woke up in a spotless hospital room.The intense pain in my lower back brought tears of joy to my eyes.Three years had passed.Ever since I fell down the mountain all those years ago, I hadn't felt anything from the waist down.I welcomed the pain. This sensation meant I was finally getting better.Rob opened the door, and a knowing smile appeared on his face when he saw me.He adjusted his glasses and said, "This is only the first step. You'll still need to go through physical therapy, and it's going to hurt."But luckily, your legs were well cared for before, so you haven't lost too much muscle."Hearing that, I gave a bitter smile.For the past three years, Mom and Julia had taken good care of my legs.But they had only put so much effort into my care because they hadn't gotten my money yet, and they couldn't let me die.Rob seemed to realize the same thing, so he didn't say anything more about it."Your grandfather is here and waiting outside. Do you want to see him?

Chapter 8

At first, the story barely got any attention.But I threw some money behind it and made it go viral.In less than a day, the story had exploded online.[Holy shit! The richest man's grandson, Joshua Sullivan, was betrayed by his mother and brother? Why would they do that?]People online couldn't help spinning their own wild theories about the drama.I made a burner account and started steering people toward the truth.[I'm an insider, so I know what happened! Joshua and his brother, Jim, have the same mother but different fathers.[After Joshua died, his family went after his inheritance. Before that, they even pushed him down a mountain and left him disabled!]The post caused an immediate uproar.At the time, Jim was still camped out in Arthur's office."Mr. Towne, Joshua was filthy rich. If you help us, we'll give you one percent. How about it?" Jim asked. "He had billions in assets. One percent would still be a fortune. "You couldn't make that much in your entire life, c

Chapter 9

After that, I played the recording Rob had made."You told me beforehand that you wanted the patient to remain paralyzed. I assumed you didn't care much for him."Now that he's died on the operating table from a severe reaction to the medication, you won't need to care for him anymore. Why are you so upset?""I only wanted him to stay paralyzed. I never wanted him dead…"I remained calm throughout the interview, but the reporter's expression went through a whole range of emotions.Before he left, he said indignantly, "Mr. Sullivan, don't worry. We'll make sure the truth gets out!"I nodded and watched him leave.-Our story had been all over the internet for days.As soon as the interview was published, it became one of the top trending topics.Everyone online sympathized with me. They said they were so glad I had survived and urged me to get justice for what had been done to me.My company's official account posted a statement thanking everyone on my behalf.Meanwhile, Mom

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