Chapter 2

The owner of those eyes was Walter Jackson, the family's new butler.

Dad had hired him just two weeks earlier. He said he was a distant relative from back home who needed work.

What kind of butler would silently watch his employer through a crack in the door in the middle of the night?

Then, the realization hit me. He wasn't a relative here to work at all. Dad had hired him to keep an eye on me.

Cold sweat soaked through my pajamas. Forcing myself to stay calm, I let my eyes go unfocused and mumbled, "Water… I need some water…"

Pretending to sleepwalk, I shuffled past the half-open door and over to the water dispenser in the hallway.

I filled a glass with water and wandered back to my room with the same vacant expression before closing the door behind me.

That night, I curled up under the blankets and bit my lip until it bled just to keep from crying.

…

The following morning, sunlight streamed into my bedroom, yet it did nothing to ease the chill inside me.

I knew I couldn't just sit around and wait to die. I had to save myself.

Would the Sullivans still want me if I had imperfections?

I took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen, pretending to get a glass of water.

With a flick of my wrist, I purposely knocked the glass onto the floor. It shattered, sending shards everywhere.

I dropped to my knees, picked up a shard, and pressed it against my forearm.

If I left a scar, I'd be safe.

But just before the glass could break my skin, a powerful force slammed into me.

"What do you think you're doing?" Dad lunged at me like a madman and struck me hard across the face.

I crashed onto the floor, which was littered with broken glass. My ears rang, and I could taste the blood in my mouth instantly.

Before I could react, two burly security guards appeared from nowhere and pinned me to the ground. I couldn't lift a finger.

Dad didn't spare my swollen cheek a single glance. Instead, he frantically inspected my arm.

After confirming that my skin was unharmed, he let out a long sigh. Then, he fixed me with an icy stare.

"Evan, if you leave so much as a scar on your skin, you're no longer my son!"

Gritting his teeth, he grabbed my chin. "I've spent 18 years raising you. Do you know how much money I've invested in you? It's time you repaid me."

Michael was leaning against the kitchen doorway with a smirk. "You're unbelievable. Dad spent all that time and money on you, and this is how you repay him?"

I looked up at both of them. The last shred of hope inside me disappeared.

They had never loved me. I was nothing more than a bargaining chip they planned to cash in for wealth.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Walter opened the front door. Then, Ian strode into the house with a private physician wearing a white coat by his side.

His eyes landed on me as I was still pinned to the floor. A strange smile spread across his face.

"Mr. Hollister, it looks like my birthday present wasn't very cooperative."

He walked over and looked down at me. His hand was deathly pale as he grabbed my chin and forced my head up.

The look in his eyes was filled with greed.

"Beautiful," he murmured. "Not a single flaw."

Then, he bent down and pressed his ear against my chest. He closed his eyes as though he were listening for something.

My heart pounded wildly with fear.

He smiled. "What a beautiful heartbeat."

My whole body trembled. Tears spilled down my face as I looked desperately at Dad.

I even reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt. "Dad, I'm scared…"

But he shook my hand off without a second thought. He couldn't be bothered to put on an act anymore.

He looked at me with open disgust. "Stop acting like a child. You should be grateful that your life is making this family rich beyond our wildest dreams. Keeping Mr. Sullivan alive is the only reason you were ever worth raising."

I stared at his greed-stricken face.

Why did my own father hate me so much? Even if he'd only ever seen me as a source of income, why did he despise me?

Anyone would grow attached after 18 years—even to a dog.

But I didn't have time to dwell on it now.