I was my parents' only biological child, but I was nothing more than a tool they used to discipline their adopted son and daughter. When my adopted brother, Leo, was caught secretly filming women in a fitting room... My father forced me to take the blame. I was beaten so badly by the victim's boyfriend that both my legs were broken. While I lay in agony, my father used the moment to lecture Leo: "You see that? Thank God your older brother was here to take the fall. Otherwise, it would be your legs that were broken today!" When my adopted sister, Mia, stole money from the house to send to a guy she met online... My mother shattered both of my arms with a baseball bat. When I couldn't feed myself, she threw my dinner bowl onto the floor and pointed at me, telling Mia: "Look at how pathetic and disgusting your brother is! Remember this—this is what happens to thieves!" But the pain was inflicted entirely on my body. How could Leo and Mia possibly learn a lesson when they never suffered the consequences? Just as expected, on the day of the Winter Festival. The two of them got into a vicious, screaming match over whether the traditional festival pastries should be sweet or savory. In the struggle, a bowl of hot pastries was knocked over, spilling all over the floor. My mother flew into a rage and kicked me hard in the ribs while I was lying helplessly on the floor. "You useless animal! Is this how you teach your younger brother and sister?! They're fighting over something so stupid, and you can't even stop them?!" My father was even more ruthless. He dragged my broken, useless body into my bedroom. "From this second on, you get no food and no water! You stay locked in here! When your brother and sister finally learn how to behave, then you can come out!" I was utterly bewildered. I broke down, screaming in despair: "They are the ones who made the mistake! Why am I always the one being punished?!" …… My father raised his hand and slapped me brutally across the face. "You dare talk back to me?! If your brother and sister are acting out, it's because you failed to set a good example as the eldest!" My mother seized the opportunity to lecture Leo and Mia: "Your brother was only going to be locked up for one day. But since he refuses to show any remorse, it's going to be at least three days now." Leo's jaw dropped in genuine shock: "But Mom, his arms and legs are broken. If you lock him in there without food or water for three days, is he even going to survive?" Seeing my pathetic, agonizing state, even Mia couldn't bear it: "Mom, I promise I won't fight with Leo anymore. Please don't punish Liam." Hearing this, my parents exchanged a look of deep, triumphant satisfaction. But my father still cleared his throat and maintained his harsh facade: "Absolutely not. I said three days, and I mean three days." "And to make sure you two don't try to sneak him any food, we're packing our bags. The four of us are going on a road trip to the next state over! We'll be back in three days!" Without waiting for another word, and completely ignoring my desperate pleas for mercy. My parents forcefully shoved Leo and Mia out of the room and locked my bedroom door from the outside. "You stay in there and reflect on what you've done. I've already transferred every cent out of your bank account, so don't even think about ordering food delivery." Seeing that they were actually going to leave... With all four of my limbs broken, I was terrified and overwhelmed with grievance. I desperately banged my forehead against the floor, crying and begging: "Mom, I'm sorry! I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have talked back! I promise I'll do whatever you say from now on! Please just let me out! Both my arms and legs are broken, I can't even take care of myself... if you lock me in here for three days, I'm really going to die..." From the other side of the door, my mother's impatient voice drifted in: "Too late." "If I let you out just because you begged a little, how am I supposed to discipline your brother and sister in the future?" "If I hear one more word out of you, I'll make it five days!" Hearing that, despite the suffocating injustice burning in my chest... I didn't dare knock on the door again. Because I knew they were absolutely capable of doing it. Last summer, my father drove us all to visit my grandmother. On the way, Leo and Mia got into a physical, screaming fight in the backseat over a mobile game. No matter what I said, they wouldn't stop. Seeing the chaos, my father abruptly pulled the SUV over to the side of the highway. I was afraid he was going to hit them, so I opened my mouth to plead on their behalf. Before I could speak, my father yanked my door open and violently dragged me out of the car. "Your brother and sister are fighting like animals, and you have the nerve to just sit there?!" Before I could even process what was happening... My father got back in the car and sped off into the distance. I walked for eight agonizing hours through the pitch-black night until I finally reached my grandmother's house. My feet were covered in burst, bleeding blisters. My grandmother cried, her eyes red with heartbreak. But my father physically blocked her from applying ointment to my feet. Instead, he used the moment to lecture Leo and Mia: "Your brother got incredibly lucky today. He only got some blisters and didn't get eaten by coyotes." "Next time you two dare to fight in my car, I'm throwing you out!" But on the drive back home, when Leo and Mia got into another vicious screaming match over who got to sit in the passenger seat... The person my father dragged out and abandoned on the highway was, once again, me. The more I thought about it, the more toxic and bitter my heart felt. I stared at my banking app, which showed a balance of $0.00. Dragging my broken, useless body across the floor, I painstakingly searched every inch of my bedroom. I couldn't find a single piece of candy or a drop of water. As the hours dragged on, my stomach cramped so violently with hunger that I couldn't straighten my back. The pain from my shattered arms and legs was excruciating, drilling deep into my bones. I could only lie flat on my bed, using my elbows to painfully, slowly type out messages to my parents: [Mom, my stomach hurts so much from the hunger. Could you please ask one of the neighbors to bring me some food?] [Dad, I promise I'll be a better role model from now on. Can you please call a doctor to set my broken bones? I'm terrified that if we wait too long, I'll be permanently crippled.] But my messages sank like stones into the ocean. Neither of them replied. Instead, it was Mia who texted me: [Liam, I ordered you some UberEats! I told the driver to leave the food on the window sill right outside your bedroom window. Make sure you grab it!] A brief flash of joy lit up my heart. Even though my parents constantly punished me for Leo and Mia's mistakes over the years... The two of them were actually very close to me. Not only would they beg for mercy when my parents were punishing me, but they would always apologize to me afterward. It was just a shame they were too young and immature. They never learned their lessons, and they always repeated their mistakes. And I was always the one forced to pay the price. Just as I was thinking this, I suddenly heard the heavy deadbolt on the front door click open. My heart jumped into my throat. Then, I heard a strange, unfamiliar male voice from the hallway: "Come on in. Nobody's home." Chaotic, heavy footsteps echoed through the house. I was so terrified I covered my mouth and held my breath. "Don't worry. I've been casing this house all day. The whole family went on vacation. They left with suitcases; they won't be back anytime soon." "Leaving for a road trip right on a holiday. This family must be loaded. You toss this room, I'll take the other one." As the two men spoke, their footsteps grew closer and closer to my bedroom door. I frantically, painfully dialed my mother's number: "Mom! Call 911! Someone broke into the house..." I was in absolute panic, but the only response I got was my mother's furious scolding. "Liam Carter! I haven't even locked you up for a full day, and you're already making up ridiculous lies?! You are a terrible influence on your brother and sister!" "Mom, I'm telling the truth..." Before I could finish, she hung up the phone. And right at that exact second, the footsteps stopped right outside my bedroom door. "Why is this door locked from the outside?" Hearing that, I let out a microscopic sigh of relief. I hurriedly tried to dial 911 again. But with all four of my limbs broken, hitting three simple numbers on a touchscreen was a monumental, agonizing task. I finally managed to dial the number, but before I could hit send, my bedroom door was violently kicked open. "I told you! If a door is locked in an empty house, there's definitely good shit inside..." The phone slipped from my elbows, falling to the floor in my panic. I found myself staring dead into the eyes of a man with a massive, jagged scar across his face. The next second, I threw my body desperately toward the phone. I had barely touched it when the scarred man lunged forward and pinned me to the floor. "Fuck! You said you cased the place! Why is there a guy in here?!" He clamped his hand over my mouth, trapping me in a suffocating chokehold. The other man, slightly heavier, was sweating profusely: "What do we do, man?! We were just supposed to do a quick B&E. If we got caught, it wouldn't be a big deal. But now he's seen our faces..." Hearing this, the scarred man's face turned dark, and the hand covering my mouth tightened viciously. "Then we make sure he never sees anything again!" A suffocating, crushing pain enveloped me. I thrashed wildly, using the absolute last ounce of my strength to hit the "Emergency Contact" button on my lock screen. The exact fraction of a second the call connected... I used every bit of energy in my broken body to tear the scarred man's hand away from my mouth, screaming at the top of my lungs: "MOM! HELP ME! SOMEONE BROKE IN..." My voice was abruptly, brutally cut off. The scarred man drove a heavy hunting knife deep into my chest. I collapsed onto the floor, staring in despair at the glowing phone screen. Just before the scarred man reached down to end the call, my mother's impatient, venomous voice finally crackled through the speaker: "If you want to die, then just fucking die! Stop trying to ruin our vacation with your psychotic tantrums!" The call disconnected. The scarred man glanced at the call log, let out a furious grunt, and plunged the knife into my body again. And again. And again. "Still want to call the cops, huh?!" Blood sprayed across the floor, but my body felt incredibly numb. The physical pain was absolutely nothing compared to the agony in my heart. In the final second before my consciousness completely faded... I only had one thought. I guess Leo and Mia will finally learn their lesson this time. Mom and Dad finally traded my life to buy their good behavior. When I opened my eyes again, the air was filled with noisy, chaotic sounds. I looked down at myself in confusion. There wasn't a single stab wound on my body. I didn't feel any pain. "Did you buy the return tickets yet?" Hearing my father's voice, I instinctively looked up. I saw him frowning, sitting side-by-side with my mother in lounge chairs on a sunny beach. Not far away, Leo and Mia were playing in the sand. I instinctively lunged toward my parents, screaming their names, but my body passed right through them like smoke. It was only then that I realized. I was dead. My soul had somehow floated across the state to be with my parents. "I bought them for Tuesday. Holiday flights are ridiculously expensive right now." My mother took a sip of her orange juice, complaining in annoyance. "Thank God we used that fight as an excuse to leave Liam at home. If he had come with us, we definitely wouldn't have had enough budget for this trip." I stared at my mother in absolute, paralyzing shock. I recognized every single word she was saying, but in that moment, I couldn't comprehend the meaning behind them. "We didn't have a choice. The kids were begging for a vacation, but money is tight. Everyone in our neighborhood knows Leo and Mia are adopted. If we left either of them at home, the neighbors would gossip and say we play favorites. We had to leave Liam behind." My father's expression was grave: "But you didn't leave him a single cent. What if he actually starves? And his arms and legs—are you sure they're just minor fractures? Is it really okay to delay taking him to the hospital?" My mother shook her head dismissively: "Relax. Mia is close to him; she definitely ordered him some UberEats. As for his arms and legs, they just look scary. When we get back, we'll just take him to an urgent care clinic and have them set." Hearing this, my father let out a sigh of relief. But then, Leo and Mia started fighting again down by the water. Leo accidentally popped Mia's inflatable swim ring, and Mia started screaming that she was going to destroy his stuff in retaliation. "Why are they fighting again? I'll go break it up..." My mother started to get up, but my father stopped her. "Wait until we're back in the hotel room. We have to save face in front of all these strangers." My chest ached so badly I felt like I couldn't breathe. So... my father actually knew the importance of 'saving face' in public. Then why, when he broke my arms, and the neighbors asked what happened... why did he loudly announce that I was being punished for stealing money? Why did he subject me to their disgusted stares? I stared at my father in agony, and watched him let out a heavy sigh. "If only Liam were here. We wouldn't have to worry about 'saving face' with our own biological kid." "We could take all our frustration out on him, and use him as a punching bag to scare Leo and Mia into behaving." Oh. So that was it. As the absolute peak of heartbreak consumed me, my vision began to blur and twist. Memories from my life began playing out before my eyes like a movie. At the amusement park, Leo and Mia demanded expensive, massive plush toys. My father slapped me across the face—even though I had been standing there in total silence—and screamed: "You're too old to be begging for toys! Grow up!" Then, he turned to Leo and Mia with a warm, gentle smile and asked which ones they wanted. Terrified by his outburst, they stuttered and shook their heads. My parents praised them for being so well-behaved and bought them the cheapest, smallest keychains instead. A neighbor who was also at the park with her kids saw the whole thing and praised my parents: "You two are such amazing parents. You treat your adopted kids so well! Even I wouldn't buy my own biological kids those expensive toys." My parents couldn't hide the smug pride in their eyes, but they smiled humbly and shook their heads: "They're all exactly the same to us." At school, Leo and Mia's grades dropped, and the teachers called my parents in. The teachers gently suggested that my mother wasn't paying enough attention to her adopted children, pointing out that I—a grade above them—was consistently ranking in the top three of my class. My mother's face turned bright red with humiliation. That night, she ripped all my perfect test exams to shreds, screaming: "We spend so much money sending you to school, and you can't even get first place?! If you're going to be this useless, you might as well drop out!" I slumped onto the floor, crying over the torn pieces of paper. I whispered in confusion: "But Mom... I did get first place this time." Unfortunately, my mother didn't hear my question. She had already turned her back to comfort Leo and Mia, using the moment to urge them to attend extra tutoring sessions. "When Liam got into trouble, I told you we shouldn't have taken on this burden, but you wouldn't listen. Who knows if Liam is going to hold a grudge against us for the rest of his life." My mother's voice pulled me back from my memories. I followed her gaze and looked at my father. I saw his hand stiffen around his drink for a second, before he let out a careless, dismissive laugh: "Relax. How could a biological child ever hold a grudge against his own parents? A few sweet words and he'll come running right back to us." The exact second my father finished his sentence, his cell phone started ringing. "Why is Liam calling me again?" While muttering his annoyance, my father answered the call: "Hello. Is this the father of Liam Carter? This is the City Police Department. We just disrupted a violent home invasion and robbery. I deeply regret to inform you that Liam has been killed..." My father froze for a few seconds. His broad shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably: "Are you an actor Liam hired? This kid is getting completely out of hand. Making up lies like this just to trick us into coming home..." "My badge number is Z5171. Your address is 742 Evergreen Terrace, Apartment 103. The news should be hitting the local stations right about now. You can look it up yourself." A heavy, suppressed sigh echoed through the speaker: "Before Liam was killed, he called you and your wife multiple times. If either of you had just dialed 911... based on our response times, your son would still be alive." The call disconnected. My father's hands shook violently as he opened Safari and searched for our home address. My mother hadn't heard the conversation on the other end of the line. She looked at my father in confusion: "What kind of stunt is Liam pulling now? He called me earlier and lied about someone breaking into the house, trying to get me to call the cops." My mother let out a disdainful, mocking laugh: "I didn't buy it for a second. He even called twice, putting on a great performance..." "Shut up!" My father roared, his eyes completely bloodshot. My mother jumped in fright, her own temper flaring up: "If Liam pissed you off, why are you yelling at me?! Do you think I'm some pathetic pushover like him that you can just abuse whenever you want..." "Liam is dead!" My father screamed, cutting her off, and shoved his phone screen into her face.
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