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.

"Jeff, this is where you're in the wrong. Even if your adoptive parents didn't give you a good life before, they still raised you all these years. They gave you a second life.

"How can you, the moment you learn you're the true heir of the Zeder family, rush to cut ties with your benefactors?!"

Shane looked as if he were sincerely speaking up for me, but the glee in his eyes was barely contained.

My eyes reddened, and I choked out, "You're right. This is my fault."

Seeing that I was still as spineless as ever, my adoptive parents' family immediately regained their earlier swagger.

"If you want our forgiveness, that depends on your sincerity," my adoptive father, Jack Hughes, said, his gaze greedy as he looked around the villa.

"Your sister has taken a liking to a rich young man recently. His family expects quite a hefty dowry. Your mother and I… we're in a bit of a difficult position…"

He didn't finish, but I nodded obediently. Leaning closer to my adoptive parents, I lowered my voice.

"There are too many people here. Let's go upstairs to talk. Shane, you should come too—help advise me."

At that, the disdain in Shane's eyes deepened, but he followed anyway.

As we passed Lizzie, she called out to me.

"Do you need help?"

"No. I just want to spend some time with my adoptive family—talk things through."

If she came along, how would I carry out my plan?

The four of them, each harboring their own motives, followed me to the open-air balcony stacked with giant fireworks.

"Alright, it's just the five of us now. Hand over all the money the Zeder family has given you!"

Julia stood there arrogantly, still assuming I would obey like before.

Walking last, I quietly clicked the balcony door shut and locked it.

Seeing that, unease flickered across Shane's face.

"Jeff, what are you playing at? After tonight, your reputation in the elite circles of this city will be completely ruined. If you don't want to be thrown out, kneel and be my dog! I'm feeling generous—I might even toss you a few scraps."

I shook my phone slightly. "The one whose reputation gets ruined might not be me. Everyone's watching."

The moment Shane saw that I was livestreaming, he lunged at me, baring his teeth as he tried to snatch my phone.

As I stepped back again and again, he realized what I was about to do and panicked. "Don't move!"

My adoptive parents also grew anxious, staring at me tightly. "J-Jeff, calm down."

If I fell from here, none of them would get away unscathed.

Just as one of my feet hung over the edge of the rooftop, a figure rushed forward and yanked me back.

The force sent me crashing into her. When I looked up, it was Lizzie again.

She patted her chest in relief, muttering, "That was close… way too close."

Then she glared furiously at Shane. "So it was you behind all this!"