My sister covered my eyes. “Don’t look,
Danny.”
Mom grabbed my phone, furious. “Sarah,
what the hell? I thought you were taking care
of this!”
My sister looked guilty. “I blocked the news,
but someone must have snuck a video. Don’t
worry, Danny, I’ll get those videos taken down
ASAP!”
Their acting was perfect.
It made me want to throw up.
Mom knelt down in front of me, looking
<
sincere. “Danny, no matter what happens,
you’re always my baby, my precious son!”
My sister nodded. “Yeah, I’ll always love you!”
The videos were gone fast.
But some people had already copied them
and sent them around.
My reputation was ruined. Even if my body
healed, I could never go back to school.
I could never go back to the court and chase
my dream.
After the doctor finished examining me, he
looked serious. “Patient has broken arms, two
broken ribs, and some burns on his legs.
L
“The worst thing is… someone stabbed him in
the chest. The knife was two centimeters
from his heart. He could’ve died…”
Mom’s face went white. “He could’ve died?”
My sister’s eyes filled with tears. “How… how
could this happen?”
They were stabbing me in the heart.
I was on my knees, begging them to stop.
That night would be a nightmare forever.
“Doctor, whatever it takes, you have to heal
my son!”
The doctor nodded. “We’ll do our best.”
Г
Mom, who was usually so proud, got on her
knees in front of me for the first time. “Don’t
worry, Danny, I’ll make you a star!”
But I didn’t believe her anymore.
After Mom and my sister left to take care of
some things, I slowly walked outside and
called that number overseas.
“I’ve made up my mind. I want to inherit Dad’s
estate.”
“Danny, what are you doing here? I was
worried sick. I thought you…”
Mom choked up, hugging me tight. “I can’t let
anything happen to you again!”
ye
She glanced at my sister, telling her to say
something.
My sister picked up her phone, acting excited.
“Danny, I just talked to the experts overseas.
Their medical team is already here in LA. We
can do the surgery right now!”
I looked at them coldly.
Now that I almost died, they think fixing my
hands won’t get in Ryan’s way.
I didn’t want their charity.
“Mom, forget it.”
Mom said anxiously, “Danny, doing the
surgery now will give you the best chance of
using your hands normally in the future.
Otherwise, you’ll be disabled for life.”
I shook my head.
She was about to say something, but my
sister ran over, beaming. “Mom, Ryan’s here!”
Mom looked happy. “Danny, your friend’s here
to see you. I’ll take you to the room.”
She didn’t even ask how I felt, pushing me
towards the hospital room.
I felt heavy.
Ryan was the kid Mom was sponsoring, her
love child.
L
I didn’t know how Dad found out about it, but
I knew she had been seeing him for a long
time.
Ryan was always saying I was bullying him at
school. How could he care about me?
“Danny, you okay? Everyone’s worried. They
asked me to come check on you.”
Ryan started faking concern as soon as he
walked in.
I saw that he brought a basketball.
My hands were useless. Even after surgery, I
would barely be able to handle daily life.
I could never play basketball again.
く
Noticing where I was looking, Ryan
apologized. “Sorry, I forgot about your hands.
I’m so sorry you can’t play basketball
anymore, I didn’t mean to.”
But he did mean it.
“Hey… can I talk to Danny alone?”
Ryan looked innocent, all sweetness and light.
Mom wasn’t going to say no. “Sure, you cheer
him up.”
As soon as they left, Ryan dropped the act.
He looked me up and down, a smile on his
face.
“Who would’ve thought, the great Danny
<
Sawyer, all washed up?”
I glared at him. “I’m still better than you, you
bastard.”
Ryan glared at me. “What about me, you ask?
Mom’s one true love is my dad!”
“Doesn’t matter. You’ve been in the shadows
for years.”
Ryan stared me down, then laughed.
“Danny, you don’t know, do you? Mom hired
those thugs to hurt you, and your sister
posted those videos on the school forums.”
“When you were getting tortured, calling Mom
and your sister for help? They were helping
me find my dog!”
“You’re not worth as much as my dog.
“If I were you, I’d just die. I’d get out of the
way…
He wanted me to get angry.
I had already died inside.
“I’ll leave. If you want my spot, take it.”
Ryan chuckled. “Danny, I aced the tryouts and
already got accepted to the sports academy.
As for you… you’re gonna be crippled for
life.”
“But that’s not enough. I want Mom and your
sister to hate you!”
He pulled out a knife and stabbed himself in
Г
Ryan whispered in my ear, “Mom only wanted
to scare you. I paid them extra to make you
suffer.”
