Chapter 3

Before I could even lock my door, the landlord showed up with some thugs blocking the entrance,

"Luke, someone's paying ten times the rent for this place. Get the hell out now!"

Before I could react, they threw me onto the street.

My clothes and belongings landed all over me. Outside, it was pouring rain.

My prosthetic throbbed in the water.

A Maybach pulled up, splashing mud all over me.

"The great attorney reduced to a dead dog? Luke, you're pathetic."

Greg blew out a smoke ring.

Vanessa rushed out of the car with an umbrella over my head,

"Luke, stop being stubborn. Just admit your mistake and bow your head."

"I'll not only give you a job, I'll help with housing too. Why push yourself this far?"

I braced myself on the ground and stood up.

"I don't need it. So can you two lovebirds fuck off?"

Vanessa's face went stiff.

"Luke! When you went to prison, if Greg hadn't been there for me, I would've killed myself!"

"I'm trying to help you out of kindness. Do you have to be a porcupine about it?"

"Even if you won't accept my help, don't break your parents' hearts. They've been looking for you."

Right after she said that, two figures ran over from the distance.

Mom and Dad didn't even have umbrellas. They rushed over frantically.

What I didn't expect—the first thing my parents did when they saw me was slap me across the face.

"You bastard, you actually got out! We don't have a son like you!"

"Greg's our godson now. You rapist should've died in prison!"

After getting out, I didn't dare see my parents. I was afraid they'd be hurt by gossip.

Never expected they'd already claimed Greg as their son.

Greg quickly got out to help them into the car.

"Godfather, Godmother, Luke still won't admit his mistake. Won't even apologize to the victim."

"Let's just forget about him. You've got me and Vanessa at the firm now. You can retire in peace."

Mom and Dad looked at me with disgust,

"Luke, if Greg hadn't managed the firm all these years, our life's work would be gone."

"If you still won't admit your mistake, you're on your own from now on!"

The Maybach drove off.

I limped into the night. Even my parents didn't believe me. I really was a failure.

But to survive, I went to a construction site for labor.

The foreman looked at my prosthetic and waved me off.

"Get lost. We don't hire cripples. Who's liable if something happens?"

I grabbed his arm tight,

"I'm strong. I'll take half the pay. Just give me meals."

The foreman was getting annoyed and about to push me off.

A cleaning lady nearby suddenly gasped,

"You... you're Mr. Luke?"

I froze. I looked closely at the woman.

The cleaning lady glanced around and pulled me to a corner. She took out a voice recorder from her pocket.

"Mr. Luke, I'm so sorry. Greg gave me a hundred grand back then to break the cameras."

"But I secretly recorded audio. It's got him and Mia plotting to frame you for assault."

"Don't tell anyone I gave this to you. My conscience just couldn't take it anymore, so I kept this hidden."

So that was it.

Five years wrongfully imprisoned. My leg gone. Finally, the truth.