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.

Cliff Acevedo—the golden boy. The scholarship kid my mom had taken under her wing. What she never told me was that he was also her lover’s son.

My dad’s funeral had barely ended when I learned the truth—my mom had stayed close to Cliff’s family for years, even after Dad found out about the affair.

Cliff had always acted like the perfect kid at school, but behind my back, he made sure to paint me as the villain. He’d spread rumors, twisted the truth and somehow always managed to come out looking innocent.

Why the hell would he care about me now?

“Hey, bro, how’s it going?” Cliff’s voice was smooth and sympathetic as he walked into the room. “Everyone’s been worried about you. They send me to check in on you.”

I noticed the basketball in his hands—a Wilson.

My jaw tightened. My hands were ruined. Even with surgery, I’d barely manage normal function. Basketball was out of the question.

Cliff followed my gaze and gave a little wince. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot about your hands. You won’t be able to play anymore, don’t you? I shouldn’t’ve brought this with me. That was thoughtless of me.”

But I knew better. He did it on purpose.

“Do you mind if I talk to Rafael alone?” Cliff asked, his expression wide-eyed and innocent.

My mom, of course, nodded eagerly. “Of course! He’s been in an off mood today. Try to cheer him up.”

As soon as my mom and Scarlet walked out, Cliff’s mask slipped.

His eyes swept over me, calculating and cold. His gaze swept over me, a satisfied glint flashing in his eyes.

“Well, well,” he sneered. “Who would’ve thought, huh? Rafael Thompson—the golden boy, the future basketball star—reduced to a cripple.”

I narrowed my eyes. “At least, I’m not a bastard posing highly and mighty.”

Cliff’s smile faded, his eyes darkening with rage. “So what if I’m a bastard? Mom loved my dad than she ever loved yours. He was always her first choice.”

“Sure. And yet you two spent over a decade hiding in the shadows like rats.”

Cliff’s jaw tightened before he gave a cold laugh.

“I bet you didn’t know,” he leaned in, his voice low and sharp. “That it was Mom who hired those guys to attack you. And Scarlet? She’s the one who leaked those videos of you to the school.”

My chest tightened.

“Oh and while you were bleeding out, begging them to come save you, they were out with me… looking for a lost dog.” Cliff's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Now you know, Rafael. To them, you’re worth less than a dog. So why don’t you just give up the position?” He exhaled slowly, slipping one hand into his pocket. “I mean, if I were you, I’d rather be dead.”

I knew he was trying to bait me, to get a reaction out of me. But despite the rage burning inside me, I didn’t give him the satisfaction. My heart was already dead to this family. That position didn’t matter to me anymore.

“You want it so bad, do you?” My voice was steady. “Go ahead. Take it. I’m leaving anyway.”

Cliff chuckled darkly. “You probably haven’t heard it, but I crushed the tryouts. Scored way higher than expected and already got my acceptance letter from the sports academy. I’m going to make it big. My future’s shining bright. Meanwhile, you…” His smile sharpened. “You’ll probably be a pathetic worthless cripple.”

“But that’s not enough for me,” Cliff’s smile twisted into something sinister. “I want Mom and Scarlet to loathe you.”

Before I could react, he pulled out a pocketknife and stabbed it into his own hand—hard.