Chapter 4

My legs were trembling from the cold, but Vanessa's bodyguards forced me to bow my head.

"I knew you wouldn't be that obedient, so I specifically brought people to watch you!"

Every step I took, they forced me to bow my head.

The snow had been cleared from the steps, leaving my head to repeatedly strike the cold stone.

Vanessa followed, breathing heavily.

"Keep going, Liam! Are you trying to slack off?"

"You've already bowed one thousand three hundred and fifty times! Only eight thousand six hundred and forty-nine more to go!"

By the end, I was like a puppet, dragged by two bodyguards, forced down and pulled up, over and over.

My forehead was a swollen, purplish mess, so high it almost squeezed my eyes shut.

Vanessa held her phone up to my face.

"Jeremy, look! Liam has finished praying for you. In a while, you'll be completely recovered!"

The me in the video was so pathetic that Jeremy bent over with laughter.

"Liam looks so disgusting now, haha! I've never seen such a grotesque face!"

"He barely looks human! He'd scare kids if he went out like that!"

Noah's head popped into the frame.

"Let me see, let me see!"

"Wow, he looks like a monster! So ugly, so scary!"

I closed my eyes and completely passed out.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a cage.

Whispers came from nearby.

"Mom, you always know what to do! A little pity act, and Liam obediently went to pray for Jeremy, didn't he?"

"Well, Jeremy "is" my biological son. I swapped the babies because Liam's family seemed well-off. Who knew his parents would kick the bucket so early!"

"Shh, let's keep our voices down. We don't want him to hear us!"

My heart was a swirl of emotions.

So, I wasn't Brenda's son at all.

No wonder she had always subtly helped Jeremy bully me. Everything finally made sense!

"Liam, you're awake?"

"We didn't mean to lock you in the dog cage. It's just that Noah said you looked like a monster and he was scared of you. We'll let you out now!"

Brenda tried to help me up, but I pushed her away.

She had always held her 'kindness' of raising me over my head, using it to manipulate me.

I never imagined her 'mother's love' was a mere facade. She was an outright kidnapper.

All my suffering was her doing.

Vanessa, cradling her belly, said, "I have good news for you. I'm pregnant again. You're going to be a father again."

The child I had lovingly cared for wasn't mine, and now I could never have my own.

It was truly laughable.

Since that was the case, it was time for me to disappear for good.

After Vanessa and Jeremy's follow-up appointment, she was in high spirits.

The doctor said Jeremy's legs would likely make a full recovery.

She thought of Liam.

"Doctor, can you give me some medicine for bruising? I need to take it home."

The doctor looked confused.

"How severe is the bruising? If it's very serious, he needs to come to the hospital. Topical medicine won't be enough!"

Vanessa opened her photo album.

The doctor gasped.

"This is very serious! How did these injuries happen? If not treated properly, they could fester. You should bring him to the hospital as soon as possible!"

Vanessa's mouth fell open.

"Is it that bad?"

Vanessa felt a flicker of panic.

Ever since she'd locked Liam in the dog cage, he hadn't left the utility room for days.

What worried her more was whether Liam had heard her conversation with Mom.

She'd specifically had Mom act as an intercessor, forcing Liam to make that pilgrimage, and allowing Noah to lock him in a dog cage.

Thinking about it closely, it did seem a little bit excessive.

It's fine, she thought. At worst, she'd hire a temporary housekeeper for a few days, give him some paid time off.

As she walked up the stairs, Vanessa felt an inexplicable dread, as if something precious was slipping away.

Until she saw the divorce papers in the master bedroom.