The sound of my quiet sobs must have caught my mom's attention. I heard the sharp click of her heels as she hurried toward me, her face full of concern.

“Rafael, sweetheart, are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?” Her voice was soft, the warmth in her eyes making my chest ache. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m right here.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she reached for my hand. “Those animals,” she spat, her voice shaking with fury. “Don’t worry, Rafael, I’ve hired the best investigators. We’ll find out who did this and we’ll make them pay tenfold. I promise you.”

Anyone watching would have believed she loved me. Genuinely.

My sister ran the other way—looking frantic as she screamed for doctor. “Get the best painkillers! Don’t let my brother suffer another second!”

Their concern felt too real to be fake… yet I knew better. They had lied to me, betrayed me.

A dull ache spread through my chest and my vision blurred. My head spun and I felt like I might pass out.

The doctor pushed open the door, scissors in hand. He cut away my clothes, his fingers moving quickly and efficiently as he prepared the medication.

“Rafael,” my mom said gently, “you’re badly hurt. I’m worried that rushing the surgery could make things worse. Let’s wait until tomorrow when the top specialist arrives, okay?”

She smiled, brushing a hand through my hair. “Don’t be scared. I promise… I’ll make sure you get back on the court.”

A tear slipped down my cheek and I swallowed hard.

“Mom,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Will I really be able to play again?”

My mom froze for a second, her gaze shifting to the side.

She couldn’t look me in the eye.

After a long silence, my mom sighed. “Have I ever lied to you?”

This time, I was truly, completely disappointed.

“Alright,” I said softly, looking away. “Whatever you say.”

“You're such a good boy.” My mom smiled and ran her hand through my hair, her touch light and affectionate—like she thought that would make everything better.

But before she could finish, the doctor pulled out a pair of scissors and cut away my pant leg. The air in the room seemed to freeze when the bruises and burns on my leg were exposed. The skin was a patchwork of angry reds and purples, the wounds fresh and raw.

“Oh my God!” My mom gasped, her face twisting in horror as her hands flew to her mouth. “How… how could it get this bad?”

I forced myself to stay calm, keeping my voice flat even though I could feel the burn of rage beneath the surface. “Those thugs didn’t hold back,” I said, my jaw tightening. “They were competing to make me scream the loudest.”

My hands curled into fists. 

“They beat me with sticks,” I said coldly. “Threw rocks at me. Pressed out their cigarettes on my skin. And when that wasn’t enough—they broke my arms.”

“Stop it!” Scarlet screamed, her hands clamping over her ears. “I can’t hear this anymore! They’re too savage.”

My mom’s eyes filled with tears, her hands trembling at her sides. The doctor shook his head in disbelief, muttering under his breath, “They’re monster.”

“Hang in there,” the doctor said, turning to me with a steady gaze. “This might hurt a bit.”

I shook my head slowly. “It’s fine.”

Because honestly, the pain in my body was nothing compared to the ache in my chest—the raw betrayal, the hollow, twisting feeling that came from knowing the two people I trusted most had broken me in ways that no amount of healing could fix.

As the doctor treated my wounds, I heard the conversation Mom and Scarlet had outside the room.

“He’s already like this, do you still want to spread rumors online that he got into the state team through backdoor connections?” Scarlet’s voice was sharp with disbelief.

My mom was quiet for a moment before answering in a cold, flat tone. “The top athletic schools value their reputation. They’d never accept a student who got in through backdoor connections.”

But I worked so hard for this—I poured sweat and blood into getting into the state team and winning those medals. How could they just erase everything I worked for like it was nothing?

Tears welled up and spilled over.

The doctor noticed and hesitated. “Am I hurting you?”

I shook my head weakly. “No.”

I wasn’t sure which hurt more—the physical pain or the gut-wrenching realization that the two most important women in my life weren’t just content to destroy my body. They wanted to crush my spirit too.

At that moment, I honestly wanted to ask them ‘Are we family, or enemies?’

A sharp buzz cut through the tension. My phone vibrated on the bedside table. I picked it up with shaking hands and tapped the screen.

A video was going viral on school forums. The title read: “A sports start, bribed his way into the State team.”

[I know this guy. He’s Rafael Thompson, one of my classmates. I can’t believe he’s actually terrible at basketball and only made it to state because of insider connections. What a disgrace!]

[Yes and I can vouch for that. He’s got a horrible attitude too. He loves picking on other kids. Honestly, I’m glad those thugs broke his arms. Serves him right!]

[His mom’s the CEO of a big company. I can’t imagine how embarrassed she must be knowing her son’s such a jerk.]

The words were daggers. Each one stabbed into my chest, twisting and leaving behind a dull, aching burn. My breath hitched and my hands trembled.

Scarlet reached over and covered my eyes with her hand. “Enough, Rafael. Stop looking at it.”

Not long after, my mom rushed in, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. She snatched my phone from my hand and turned on Scarlet with a cold glare. “Scarlet, why are you so incompetent? Didn’t I tell you to handle this? How could this news still get out?”

Scarlet’s face darkened instantly. “I tried to stop it, Mom, but someone must have recorded it and leaked it.”

“Don’t worry, Rafael,” Scarlet said, turning toward me with a reassuring smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll take care of it. I’ll find out who leaked it and shut it down.”

I almost laughed. Their performance was so polished I felt like applauding—if both my arms weren’t bound in casts and strapped to the pole. Every word, every movement—it was like they’d rehearsed this moment a thousand times.

My mom crouched in front of me, her eyes wide with desperation. “It doesn’t matter what people say. You will always be my good son. I will always stand by you, Rafael.”

Scarlet nodded firmly. “That’s right. I’ll always protect you too.”

The video was taken down not long after. But the damage had already been done. Too many people had already saved copies and passed them around.

My reputation was destroyed. Even if my body healed, I’d never be able to show my face at school again.

And I’d never be able to play again. My dream of becoming a basketball player was gone.

The doctor’s expression was grim as he finished tending my wounds. “His arms broken. Two fractured ribs and multiple burns on his legs.”

He hesitated before adding, “The worst thing is the stab wound in his chest. It’s only two centimeters away from the heart. If he hadn't been taken to the hospital in time, he wouldn’t survive.”

My mom’s face turned ashen, her body freezing mid-motion. “He got stabbed? 

Scarlet’s eyes filled with tears. “How could it be that bad?”

The memory of that night slammed into me like a wave, suffocating and relentless. The glint of the knife. The sharp sting of metal breaking through my skin. The cold pressure of the floor beneath my knees as I begged them to stop. But no one came. No one listened. That night—those endless, agonizing hours—would haunt me forever.

My mom’s hands curled into fists as she turned to the doctor. “No matter the cost, you have to save my son!”

The doctor nodded. “We’ll do everything we can.”

For the first time in my life, I watched my proud mother sink to her knees before me, her gaze burning with desperation. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Everything will be okay. I’ll make sure you recover. You’ll rise from this stronger and brighter than ever. I swear that no one will dare to look down on you!”

I met her gaze, my expression cold and empty. Nothing she said could make me believe her anymore.

When mom and Scarlet left to take care of other things, I got out of my bed and slipped out of my ward. My hands were braced by splints on both sides, wrapped tightly in bandages, but I still managed to reach for the phone. My fingers trembled as I punched in the international number, waiting for the line to connect.

“It’s me,” I said when the call went through. My voice was steady despite the shaking in my hands. “I’ve made my decision. I’m going to inherit what my father left for me.”

“Rafael, how did you get here?!” My mother’s worried voice, thick with emotion, broke through my haze.  “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I thought…” she sobbed, pulling me into her arms the moment she stepped into the room. “I won’t let you get hurt again. Never. Do you understand me?”

After a pause, she glanced at Scarlet, who immediately picked up her phone and smiled brightly.

“Oh, right. So, little brother, I just talked to a specialist.” Scarlet said, her voice almost too cheerful. “Their medical team arrived early in the city. We can schedule your surgery immediately!”

I lifted my eyes and glanced at them both. Was this sudden concern because they realized how close I came to dying? Or was it because they knew even if my hands were fixed, I’d never be able to compete with Cliff?

Well, either way, I didn’t need their charity.

“I’m not having it,” I said coldly. 

Mom’s face tightened. “Rafael, this surgery is your best chance of regaining full use of your hands. If you refuse now, you might lose your hands function for life.”

I shook my head slowly. Whatever. I didn’t care for shit anymore.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but Scarlet suddenly perked up. “Mom, Cliff’s here.”

My mom’s face lit up. “Your friend’s here to see you. Let me take you to him.”

Without asking how I felt about it, she pushed my wheelchair toward the room.

My chest tightened painfully.