Lahat ng Kabanata ng They Saved Him, Not Me: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

There had never been a place for me in this family. I should've gotten used to that a long time ago, shouldn't I?I picked up my phone and called my mentor."Professor Everard, I accept. In a week, I'll move to Valdoria and focus on my studies there. I'm never coming back..."The next morning, Mom came into my room, already sounding annoyed."Bennett, you really shouldn't have walked off to your room yesterday while your father was disciplining you. Do you know how much that undermined him? You've really let me down—"She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the clothes I'd taken off.The lights had been too dim the night before for her to notice.Only now did she see that my light gray sweater was almost completely soaked in bright red blood.It was only then that she began to understand what I'd been through.Dad came in and saw it too, and his lips gave the faintest tremble."Bennett, I wasn't paying enough attention. I didn't know—"I stared at the ceiling, my voice cold.

In all the years since I'd moved back, when had anything ever been equal?Alistair dropped to his knees with a thud."Bennett... I know you've never liked me... but I really need this opportunity... Please..."I let out a cold laugh."Fine. You can have it. But first, you have to get down on all fours and crawl around the room like a dog. Do that, and it's yours.""You—"Dad's face changed."That's ridiculous! Bennett! How can you treat your brother like that?"I didn't back down."Why so worked up? That's exactly what Alistair told me back when he wouldn't let me into the house. So why the double standard?"My parents went silent.Back then, they had both tried to talk me down, saying Alistair was "a little mischievous, but he doesn't mean any harm." They said he was "just stubborn" and told me to do whatever he said.I sighed and decided to let out every grievance I'd swallowed over the years."Dad, when you took us hiking, Alistair complained that he was being left out,

I turned off my phone.Then I put on an eye mask and earplugs and let myself look forward to the life waiting for me when the plane landed.Four hours later, we landed in Valdoria.My mentor, Professor Malcolm Everard, was waiting for me with a group from his team.He had taught me back at university, and when he learned what I'd been through, he cried so hard he couldn't speak.His wife, Ruth, had a medical condition that meant she couldn't have children, so the two of them treated me like their own son.That was why, after they settled in Valdoria, he'd been so eager to bring me over.He knew I'd never had it easy at home, whether it was with the Pruitts or with my biological parents.I got a new phone number and followed Professor Everard deep into the mountains to do research.The signal out there was terrible, and all we had was one old, beat-up TV, which seemed to show nothing but missing-person appeals.There was even a video of business magnate Richard Holloway and hi

She spat at Dad viciously."I'll hit him however I want. What's it to you?"Then she lifted her chin, looking rather pleased with herself."What, you feel sorry for him? I've been beating him since he was a kid. There's not one inch of him I haven't bruised. You going to feel sorry for all of it?"She had always been like this, using me as a punching bag to prove she was in charge.It was nothing like the story Alistair had told my parents.My parents narrowed their eyes, their gazes moving back and forth between Darlene and me.I knew they suspected I'd staged the whole thing. They always took Alistair's side.Darlene assumed I had no standing in my new family, so she didn't show me the slightest bit of respect.She kept spewing insults until even my parents started to frown.Just then, our neighbor, Mrs. Gibbs, rushed into the house and pulled me behind her."You poor, foolish boy! Why on earth did you come back? Go! You finally got away from them. Don't ever come back her

That night, for once, I turned on the TV.On the screen, both of my parents had gone noticeably gray. They looked worn down by everything they'd been through."Bennett, your mom and I aren't asking for your forgiveness. We just want you to take good care of yourself from now on."Everything that happened before was our fault. Don't let our mistakes make you doubt yourself. You're a good kid, such a good kid. You're lovable, honest, smart, and brave. Take all of that with you and go explore the world."Bennett, we won't bother you anymore. We hope you get to live the life you want."It suddenly all made sense.Because of everything I'd been through growing up, I'd gotten used to making myself small.I thought Darlene didn't love me because something was wrong with me. I thought my parents didn't love me because something was wrong with me too.So I got stuck in a cycle of self-doubt. Whenever I ran into something hard, I was always the first to give up on myself.But some thing