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.

Cliff leaned in to me, whispering in my ears, “Mom just wanted to scare you. I’m the one who paid them extra to make sure you’d wish you were dead.”

My head snapped toward him, eyes dark with fury. Then, a scream tore through the room. Mom burst through the door, shoving me aside so hard I hit the floor. She rushed to Cliff, her face pale.

“Cliff! Oh my God, what happened?!”

Scarlet ran in behind her, immediately calling for a doctor. They were all focused on Cliff, completely ignoring me bleeding on the floor.

Cliff held her hand, his eyes shining with tears.

“It looks like I said something wrong, which made Rafael angry. I didn’t mean to…”

Then his head snapped toward me. His eyes were cold, cutting through me like glass.

“I'm sorry, Rafael. Please… don’t hurt me.”

My mom’s face immediately darkened.

“Cliff came all the way here to visit you and cheer you up and this is how you repay him? Not only are you ungrateful, but you dare to pull a knife on him?!”

Scarlet’s eyes were filled with disappointment. “Rafael, you really are twisted. You deserve everything that’s happening to you! If Cliff’s hand is injured and it affects his basketball career, I swear I’ll never forgive you!”

They huddled around Cliff, fussing over him as they hurried out of the room—without sparing me a second glance.

Fine. If this is how it ends, so be it. Once I leave, we’ll just be strangers anyway.

My mom took Cliff to get his hand checked, making sure the small cut wouldn’t leave a scar or affect his hand. Only after that did she finally seem to remember I existed.

She turned to Scarlet and said, “Go buy some of Rafael’s favorite snacks to cheer him up. I scolded him earlier—he’s probably upset.”

But ten minutes later, my mom’s phone rang. Scarlet’s panicked voice cut through the line.

“Mom, he’s gone! Rafael’s gone! He left a goodbye letter—and the company’s major shareholders just announced they’re pulling out!”