Chapter 2

Shane's POV

Even long after the funeral ended, I still couldn't pull myself out of what had just happened.

The mourning guests couldn't understand what was going on. They simply told me not to grieve too deeply and urged me to accept reality.

But how was I supposed to accept this reality?

Ten years ago, a brutal home invasion shocked the city. A family of three was targeted, with both parents savagely murdered, and only the child survived.

Dad was the lawyer who took on the case for the victims back then, fighting for the child, Felix.

By then, he was already one of the most respected lawyers in the legal world. When Felix finally tracked him down through a mutual contact, he dropped to his knees on the spot and repeatedly banged his head against the floor, begging Dad to send the killer to prison.

The killer's defense team produced medical records claiming he suffered from mental illness, which made a prison sentence nearly impossible. But Dad won the case anyway, and the killer was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment.

After the trial, Felix knelt before Dad and refused to get up, declaring that Dad was his savior for life.

"If it weren't for you, Mr. Conway, my parents' deaths would have never been avenged."

Felix had banged his forehead against the floor until he was bleeding.

Dad's heart softened. Felix had just turned 18 back then, so Dad took him in as a foster son and sponsored his college tuition. I had always looked out for him and treated him like my own younger brother, too.

And yet…

I took a deep breath, dragged myself up from the floor, and settled back into my wheelchair. My left pant leg dangled and felt entirely empty.

It hurt so much.

In truth, I should have noticed much earlier how differently Dawn treated Shane. We had dated for ages, and though she could remember all of Felix's preferences, she constantly forgot mine.

She would always say, "Shane, Felix has such a tragic life. He's nominally your little brother, so it's only right that I look out for him."

Dawn had always pitied Felix. She pitied him for being an orphan and for being alone in this world without backup or support.

I sucked in a deep breath and suppressed the pain as I called a cab to head home. The driver, who had impatiently rushed me over the phone, had a flash of pity in his eyes the moment he saw me in a wheelchair.

It felt like ever since the incident, all anyone ever did was pity me.

I got into the car and stared blankly at the scenery flashing past the window.

That day, Dad and I had just finished working late at the firm and were heading home. The killer hid around the corner of the stairwell.

Right before my eyes, he lunged forward and drove a knife into Dad over and over again.

"No! Stop it!" I screamed hysterically for help, but the killer slashed my back and instantly robbed me of my ability to fight back.

Dad collapsed right beside me, his eyes wide and unblinking from dying a horrific death. But the killer wasn't satisfied and chopped off Dad's head right before my eyes.

That was a scene I could never forget for the rest of my life.

My apartment was just a few steps away. I crawled across the floor and pounded against the door for help, but it never opened. Dawn wasn't home.

The killer stalked up behind me and drove the knife into my left leg.

"Your dad was a lawyer of justice, wasn't he? He ruined my life, so I'm going to destroy everything he loves! I want all of you to wish you were dead.

"Go on and scream. Call the police. Let's see if anyone's coming to save you!"

Even as I passed out, the killer's laughter and the fight of Dad's brutal murder flooded my mind. It was an incident I would carry to my grave.

When I woke up, my left leg was gone. They told me the killer had taken his life by jumping off the building.

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Dawn sitting by my bed. Her eyes were red and swollen as she wrapped her arms around me, sobbing apologies over and over, claiming she hadn't been home to answer my calls.

"I'm sorry, Shane… I'm so sorry… I got there too late."

But it turned out she had known all along. She had heard everything, and she had been right there with Felix the whole time, but she hadn't saved me.

If only she had called the police, Dad wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't have…

By the time I snapped out of my memories, tears were streaming down my face.

The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror and tried to offer some comfort, worried that I might do something reckless.

"Hey, it's alright, kid. Life is tough sometimes…"

I forced a smile but didn't reply.

The car slowly rolled into the apartment complex's underground parking lot.