I'm a coward—someone who gets bullied and never fights back, who only swallows the humiliation in silence.

That is, until the year I turned twenty. A well-dressed, elegant couple found me and told me I was their long-lost son.

Overjoyed, I followed them back to their castle-like home, convinced that I was finally about to live a better life.

But on the very first day, the fake heir made it clear—I would never know a moment's peace.

I didn't dare say a word. Cowardly as ever, I could only think about ending my life.

The first time, I slit my wrists. They saved me.

The second time, I tried to jump off a building. My sister dragged me back.

The third time, I drank an entire bottle of pesticide—and still didn't die.

…

My family finally saw through the fake heir's true color.

"So it was you, pulling the strings all along!"

My sister plead, "Brother dear, I'm begging you—please don't kill yourself."

When my biological parents found me, I was under an overpass, applying screen protectors to phones.

A well-dressed couple rushed up and grabbed my hands, their faces full of emotion.

"My dear son, we finally found you! Come home with us—quickly!"

I looked at them, then at the phone in my hand, half-covered with a screen protector full of air bubbles, and fell into thought.

Wasn't this scam a little too cliché?

It wasn't until they produced a DNA report—and transferred a six-figure "allowance" to me on the spot—that I finally believed them.

I really was the long-lost heir of a wealthy family.

I thought my life was about to turn into one of those "the king returns" power fantasies.

Instead, on the very first day I came home, I realized I'd walked straight into something more like The True Heir's Survival Guide…

At that moment, the fake heir, Shane, tossed the watch my mother had given me straight into the toilet.

"Don't think that just because you're back, there's a place for you in this house."

He tilted his chin so high it looked like it could pierce the ceiling.

"You're nothing but a countryside bastard. Trash that doesn't belong on any stage. No matter how expensive the watch you wear, it won't cover up that stench of poverty on you!"

I didn't dare speak. My fists clenched at my sides, then slowly loosened again.

Damn it. My cowardice was acting up again.

Seeing me like that only made him laugh harder.

"I've lived this long, and no one's ever dared to go against me! Take a good look—this watch's fate is your fate!"

With that, he hit the flush. The watch spun once and vanished.

I stood there, heart aching.

Damn—that was a six-figure luxury watch!

Coward that I was, I silently returned to my room, shut the door, and lit a cigarette. Smoke curled around me as my eyes reddened.

I thought coming back here meant I'd finally live a good life. Turns out, a life like this isn't worth living at all.

I couldn't beat him, and I couldn't outtalk him. Better to die early and start over in the next life.

I picked up the delicate letter opener on my desk. Without hesitation, I dragged it across my wrist.

Warm blood poured out, and for the first time, I felt a sense of release.

Just as my consciousness began to blur and I prepared to embrace death, a piercing scream rang out from downstairs.

"Ah—Lizzie! Lizzie, what happened?!"

It was my mother's voice.

But she wasn't calling my name.

When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't dead.

I was lying on the bed in my room, my wrist wrapped in thick layers of gauze. The whole family stood gathered around me.

My sister, Lizzie Zeder, looked as pale as paper. To my surprise, her wrist was wrapped in bandages too.

My mother's eyes were red and swollen. She clutched my hand, her voice trembling.

"Jeff, why would you do this? Whatever it is, why couldn't you tell me?"

Before I could say a word, Shane began his performance.

"Jeff… do you not like me? Is that why you resorted to something as extreme as suicide—to get Mom and Dad's attention? Do you know how worried you've made them…?"

His voice was low, and the look he gave our parents was filled with guilt and helplessness.

"Dad, Mom… maybe I should move out. I don't want to make Jeff unhappy."

Our parents' expressions darkened.

Pathetic as I was, I couldn't come up with a single word to fight back.

Shane was delighted, shooting me a smug, provocative glance.

"Shane, you're right," my father said.

Hearing that, the corners of Shane's mouth lifted, barely able to hide his satisfaction.

"In that case, you can move to the apartment in the city center for now. It's closer to your university."

The smile froze on his face. "I… I'm the one moving out? N-No, wait, that's not how this was supposed to go…"

"What's wrong? Didn't you suggest moving out?" Lizzie asked coolly.

Shane was left speechless, stammering for a long moment. As our parents' frowns deepened, he finally spoke in a wounded tone.

"Of course… he's your biological son. But I've been with you for eighteen years. Does all that mean less than blood ties?"

Before anyone could respond, he bit his lip and ran out, as if he were the one being wronged.

My father sighed and gently patted my shoulder.

"Jeff, it took us so long to find you. We want to make up for the eighteen years of love you were missing. So don't hurt yourself again. You've lost too much blood. You need to rest. We've already hired the best nutritionist and a psychologist for you."

After giving a few instructions to the servants, my parents left.

Only Lizzie stayed behind. She sat on the sofa not far from me, watching in silence, her gaze complicated.

"Why?" she finally asked. "You were finally brought back and finally became the heir of a wealthy family. What could you possibly be so upset about that you'd throw away a good life like this and choose death?"

I shot her a glance, irritated. She was meddling too much. What did my life or death have to do with her?

When I was a child, my adoptive father would beat me with a belt whenever he lost money gambling.

If my adoptive mother was in a bad mood, she'd make me kneel in a corner and starve me.

When I tried to fight back and called the police, it only earned me even harsher beatings from both of them.

Now, the way Shane looked at me was exactly the same—like I was nothing but trash.

I didn't dare take revenge on him, and I had nowhere to run. Was I not even allowed to die?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.

I threw off the covers, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

This was the third floor.

If I jumped… I might—just might—die for good.

"What are you doing?!" Lizzie shot to her feet.

I ignored her. One leg was already over the ledge.

Just as I closed my eyes, ready to leap, someone grabbed me by the back of my collar.

It turned out it was Lizzie who had grabbed me.

"Jeff! Have you lost your mind?!" She looked furious. "Do you realize you could die doing that?!"

"Why won't you let me die?" I asked.

"Because… because…" Her expression turned oddly stiff, like she wanted to say something but held back. "Because… cherishing life is everyone's responsibility."

I was speechless.

Under my blank stare, she pulled out a black card and handed it to me.

"No password. Unlimited limit. Spend it however you like. Once you've experienced what it's like to live as the wealthy, I guarantee—you won't want to die anymore."

Strangely enough… I didn't feel like dying quite as much.

Only after she saw me calm down did Lizzie leave.

But then, Shane walked in again.

Tch. He was like a ghost that just wouldn't go away.

I quickly stuffed the black card under my pillow.

Seeing that, he let out a disdainful snort. "Heh, idiot. That kind of card? I've had several for ages. Even the grocery maid at home has one. Only a small-town hick like you would treat it like treasure."

Why was he insulting me again? What rotten luck.

Shane slowly strolled up to me, staring straight into my face, his teeth clenched.

"That face of yours… you really do look like a Zeder. They beat you for all those years—how come they didn't beat you to death?"

After a pause, a vicious smile curled on his lips.

"Next weekend, Mom and Dad are hosting a recognition party for you. You must be looking forward to it, huh? Here's a little spoiler—I've prepared a surprise just for you. I promise, you'll remember that day for the rest of your life… even in death."

He was going to target me at the party. How could I possibly fight him?

Forget it. I might as well just drift along and wait to die.

Over the next few days, all I did was spend money—day in, day out. Somehow, I felt a lot more alive.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Soon, it was the day of the recognition party. Dressed in a custom-tailored suit, I stood between my parents as they introduced me to prominent figures from every circle.

Suddenly, Shane stepped onto the center of the stage, drawing everyone's attention.

"Thank you all for coming to my brother's recognition party today. Jeff has been away from home for twenty years and has endured a lot of hardship. To help him feel the warmth of family, I've prepared a special surprise for him."

The moment he finished speaking, a commotion broke out at the entrance.

My adoptive parents arrived—bringing along their precious daughter—strutting in as if they owned the place.

The instant my adoptive mother, Julia Winfrey, saw me, she rushed over, grabbed my hand, and burst into loud, dramatic sobs.

"Jeff! You've become a rich heir—how could you not tell us? Your father, your sister, and I all thought you'd been lured away again by that delinquent Rita Muller!

"You can't let her trick you again, running around with her like that! She's been with who knows how many men! If you stay with her, sooner or later you'll catch something!"

The room fell into dead silence.

To prove she wasn't lying, Julia pulled out her phone and displayed a photo—me, tightly held by a heavily made-up woman.

Then she went around showing it to the guests.

"Look! This is that trashy woman! She tricked Jeff—took advantage of his body and his feelings," Julia said, her face full of bitter disappointment.

"We've tried to talk sense into him countless times, but he just wouldn't listen! We thought when he ran away again, he'd eloped with that delinquent! Turns out he just found rich parents and doesn't want us anymore…"

They really came prepared.

Fine then—maybe I should just die here and give everyone a bit of entertainment.