After a big family get-together, I got into a car crash and was inexplicably kidnapped, dumped somewhere out in the sticks. When they found me, my hand was shattered, my legs were mangled messes, bone sticking out. Chloe and Olivia, the two girls I grew up with, were furious. They swore they’d bring those guys to justice. They cried, gripping my hands tight, promising they'd take me traveling all over the world someday. But while I was out cold after surgery, I heard Chloe’s panicked voice. "What do we do? I know Ethan supposedly stole Julian’s breakthrough research data, but doing this to him... isn't it too much?" Olivia wiped her tears, glanced coldly at me, and said dismissively, "He brought this on himself. Ethan had it all, spoiled by the Reed family for over twenty years, while Julian suffered all that time. And Ethan still wasn't satisfied—he had to steal Julian’s research?" "So he's disabled now. Big deal. We can just be extra nice to him from now on to make up for it." Tears streamed down my face in despair. Could any amount of 'making up for it' give me back my legs? Childhood friends like these? They weren't worth anything I'd ever given them. I squeezed my eyes shut, my arms trembling as I clenched my fists, gripping the bedsheet underneath me. Just then, the attending physician in charge of my case came into the room. He spoke earnestly. "Miss," he started, looking at them, "Mr. Reed’s legs are severely injured, but not necessarily beyond saving. We just need one more surgery to repair the torn ligaments and tendons. With intensive physical therapy afterward, there's a good chance he could walk again." At that moment, Olivia impatiently turned up the volume on her phone, shot the doctor an annoyed look, and cut him off nonchalantly. "We're Ethan's friends. Everything we decide is for his own good. If we say amputate, you amputate. What's with all the talk?" The doctor just shook his head, sighed, and left the room, defeated. Chloe, also annoyed by the doctor’s interruption, stormed over to me. Thinking I was still unconscious, she slapped me right across the face. "Only if Ethan is crippled will Julian become the sole heir of the Reed family. He deserves this. Losing his legs is just him paying Julian back. He should be grateful it's only that." "Exactly," Olivia chimed in. "After all the years we were supposedly friends with him? Turns out Ethan is just disgusting." Hearing them, my heart sank completely. And I used to think they were the closest people to me. Olivia had crushed on me since we were kids. I was actually planning to tell her how I felt after this family trip. But instead, twenty-plus years of pouring my heart out to them got me betrayal. To get rid of me, the obstacle in Julian's way, they plotted to have me brutally injured, maybe even killed. They heard Julian’s side of the story and immediately decided to punish me for him, maybe even eliminate me. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. Pain washed over me, and I struggled to hold back my emotions, feeling like I was about to break. My parents rushed back from overseas when they heard I was injured. As they were prepping me for the second surgery, my mother held my hand, tears streaming down her face. "Ethan, honey, don't worry. Mom's taken care of everything. It won't hurt. Even if you lose your legs, you're still my son. Mommy will always love you." I looked despairingly at her kind face, but couldn't feel any comfort. Just moments before, no matter how much I fought it, she had personally pushed the needle of the sedative into my arm. "Ethan, you have to be strong. Julian is your brother. He'll take care of you later on." 2 Chloe and Olivia dabbed at their eyes, holding my hand and trying to cheer me on. "Ethan, don't worry," Chloe said. "Olivia and I won't let the people who hurt you get away with it. They took your legs, we'll make them regret ever being born." Olivia leaned down and kissed my cheek, her face flushed, offering shy words of comfort. "Ethan, we'll always be here for you. Even if you can never stand again, we won't abandon you." I stared hopelessly at the phony performance put on by the four people closest to me, my heart dead inside. I had a fraternal twin brother, born at the same time as me, but he went missing when I was three. Three years ago, Julian showed up with the family heirloom gold locket my brother had worn. The moment my parents saw that locket, they hugged him, sobbing uncontrollably. When I suggested a DNA test, my father slapped me hard and made me kneel in the living room for a day and a night. And my two childhood friends gradually drifted away from me, showering the suddenly appeared Julian with attention instead. These four people, they pushed me into hell with their own hands, all while flashing fake smiles and claiming it was for my own good. All for Julian, who soaked up their affection, this supposed brother whose identity was never even confirmed. Tears blurred my vision. I was their biological son too, but they ignored me, condemned me based solely on Julian’s one-sided story. Several doctors approached with surgical tools, ready to begin the amputation on my already anesthetized body. The agonizing pain when the anesthesia wore off finally woke me. I opened my eyes blearily, staring at my missing lower legs. My mind went blank, then tears started flowing uncontrollably. I glared at my parents and my two former friends standing there. My voice was so choked I could barely speak, but I made one last desperate attempt to explain. "I didn't steal Julian's research data! Why won't you believe me?!" Seeing me so agitated, trembling all over, Olivia rushed forward to hold me. "It's all in the past now," she said softly. "We don't blame you. What's important now is your health. We just want you to be okay." Chloe quickly grabbed my hand, her eyes filled with pity. "Luckily, you're strong, Ethan. The most important thing now is to recover. Even without your lower legs, you can get prosthetics. We'll all be by your side." Chloe finished, looking at me with slightly reddened eyes. My parents, who'd raised me my whole life, wiped away their own tears. "Ethan, just focus on getting better," my mother said. "Dad and Julian are handling the company, so don't worry about it." I gripped the sheets painfully, they just didn't believe me. Tears streamed down my face as I lowered my head, silent. Later, as I was wheeling myself back to my room after getting some sun, I heard an angry voice from inside. It was my mother. "He’s still our son! How can you let Julian marry Olivia? How devastated will Ethan be when he finds out? He likes Olivia too, you know." "Mrs. Reed," Olivia’s voice cut in, "love is between two people. Julian and I love each other. Chloe and I grew up with Ethan, sure, but when it comes to character and talent, Julian is leagues ahead. I don't want to be friends with that plagiarizing lowlife." 3 After Olivia said that, she deliberately brought up the plagiarism accusation again. My father slammed his hand on the table and declared, "Ethan Reed is just useless. Always causing trouble since he was a kid. Now, stealing Julian's research data… I think he needs to learn his lesson!" "You know, we don't need to spend a lot on his prosthetics. Honestly, maybe just let him stay bedridden for life. It’d be less hassle for us." Chloe eagerly agreed, sucking up to my dad. "Don't worry, Mr. Reed. About Ethan stealing Julian's research data—I already told everyone on my live stream. His professor is going to make a public announcement at the university too. If we let him off easy now, it'll just encourage him." "Good point," my father said. "Then let's postpone the surgery on his hand tomorrow. Let him suffer a bit; maybe he'll learn something." I looked down at my bandaged hand, already oozing blood slightly. Tears welled up again. My chest felt crushed by a giant stone, making it hard to breathe. The day I was discharged, Julian and my two former friends took me straight to the university awards ceremony. The moment I appeared, students all over the auditorium were craning their necks to stare at me. After handing out awards, my professor looked at me, his eyes filled with disappointment and disgust. "Research is the lifeblood of a scholar. Stealing someone else's hard work is despicable. Let's have Ethan Reed come up on stage." Julian pushed my wheelchair onto the stage. My face was deathly pale as I listened to my professor start tearing into me in front of the entire university. "Ethan Reed, today I'm giving you a chance. Tell us, what was going through your mind when you stole Julian Reed’s work? Now, facing ridicule from people in our field, online, your family, and even your fellow students, do you regret it?" Just then, a student in the audience, bolder than the rest, shouted angrily. "You guys probably don't know, but Julian is Ethan's brother who was missing for over twenty years! Ethan Reed has no shame, stealing his own brother's research! Just trying to grab the family inheritance, probably. Using dirty tricks against his own brother—disgusting!" The student shouting was Julian’s roommate. His words stunned the entire auditorium. Then came the wave of accusations and curses directed at me. Sitting in my wheelchair, I listened helplessly to the vile insults, experiencing the shame of public humiliation. My eyes reddened, my lips trembled as I tried to speak. "I didn't..." Hearing me deny it, the professor’s chest heaved with fury and disappointment. He grabbed the microphone again. "Stealing someone else's work and still refusing to admit it! Still lying! A student like this is a disgrace to this university! Let this be a warning to everyone—never become an academic thief!" As soon as the professor finished, Julian stepped in front of me, facing the crowd. His eyes were red. "My brother has already paid a price for this," he said to everyone. "He made a mistake in a moment of weakness, stealing my research, but he's my brother. We were separated for over twenty years before we found each other again. I don't want him to hate me because of this." 4 Saying this, he slowly knelt in front of me. "Brother," he said, looking up at me, "if you wanted my research, I would have given it to you. Just acknowledge me as your real brother, that's all I ask. Please don't resent Mom and Dad, or Olivia and Chloe." "It was my sudden appearance that took away the love that was solely yours for over twenty years. I didn't want that, but I missed you all so much. Before I found my family, I never had enough to eat or warm clothes, sometimes I slept in barns... It was so cold." "Brother, here, take my award today. I'm begging you, please don't do anything foolish, okay?" Tears streamed down Julian’s face. He bowed his head slightly, looking like a bullied child. Olivia and Chloe immediately went onto the stage, helping the kneeling Julian up with concerned looks. Then they glared fiercely at me. I trembled with rage, tasting blood in my mouth. I let out a strangled cry. "That research data on the cure—it was mine!" Olivia turned and slapped me hard across the face. "Ethan!" she spat, full of disappointment. "All we want is an honest guy who takes responsibility, not someone full of lies! You've disappointed us so much!" Chloe echoed her, her eyes also filled with disappointment. "Yeah, Ethan. Even now, you're still making excuses. Everyone saw what happened. Acting like this just makes us lose even more respect for you." "Brother, why are you still so stubborn?" Julian cried, his voice rising, acting like he was completely devoted to protecting me. "The professor said if you keep this up, he'll have to show the security footage! I don't want everyone laughing at you! If that video comes out, your life will be ruined!" Julian sobbed uncontrollably. "It seems Mr. Reed still won't admit it," the professor said gravely. "As your advisor, I truly regret mentoring a student like you. Julian, show everyone the video. From today on, this behavior will also be reported online. You brought this upon yourself, Ethan." Julian slowly stood up, took out his phone, and connected it to the large screen on the stage. When I saw the video playing on the screen, I was completely dumbfounded. The person in the video wore my usual clothes, but with a baseball cap and face mask obscuring their face. During the lunch break, this person snuck into the research lab and stole Julian's data report. But at that exact time that day, I was feeding stray cats behind the campus buildings during my lunch break. I had no alibi. My eyes widened in panic as I tried to explain, but my injured hand couldn't support me. "That person isn't me!" "If it's not you, who is it?" Olivia shot back. "Chloe and I grew up with you! You think we don't recognize that jade bracelet on your wrist?" In the security footage, the person wore a jade bracelet identical to mine. I stared at the screen in despair. A deep sense of helplessness washed over me, and tears streamed down my face. The accusations from the crowd, the disappointment in everyone's eyes—it all crashed down on me, suffocating me. Like a bottomless abyss swallowing all my hope. Just when I felt like I couldn't breathe, like I might actually die, Julian quickly wheeled me off the stage. My mother rushed over just then. Seeing my vacant eyes, looking like a broken, soulless doll, she stroked my face, her eyes filled with pain. "My poor child," she whispered. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have pushed you like this to admit your mistake. It's Mom's fault. Even if you made a mistake, it's my failure as a parent. No matter what, you're my child. Your brother won't blame you for taking his work. We're all family." Hearing this, I passed out. When I woke up again, my phone was gone. My mother brought a bowl of broth, trying to feed me. I turned my head away in silent protest. "I took your phone," she said. "Your hand isn't healed yet, you can't use it. When you're better, I'll give it back." I remained silent, mechanically drinking the broth. After my mother left, Chloe and Olivia came to see me. They could barely hide their excitement as they showed me a live stream on their phone. "It's Julian's press conference for his research findings!" Chloe exclaimed. "From today on, he's the hero who found the cure! Helping thousands of people suffering from this terrible disease. And he's filed for a patent! Now no one can steal his research." "Julian is amazing," Olivia added. "Remember that time Chloe and I drank those spiked drinks at the bar and passed out? Luckily, he showed up just in time. I hate to think what might have happened otherwise." "Ethan," Chloe said, turning to me, "just apologize to Julian, and this whole thing can be over." I scoffed silently in despair, my eyes burning. I didn't say a word. Seeing the adoration in Chloe's and Olivia's eyes, I felt a complex mix of emotions. "He's quite the actor," I thought bitterly. "Apologize to him? Never." I had nothing to apologize for. And I was the one who saved them that night. While they were chatting, my old, spare phone, hidden under the pillow, started vibrating wildly. Chloe grabbed it first, her eyes widening in disbelief as she looked at the screen displaying an international call.
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