Just as I finished treating Owen's injuries, Simon called. His voice was unnaturally calm on the other end of the line as he commanded, "Eunice, bring Owen to the hospital right now."Owen pulled away from my hand reluctantly. "Mom, do I have to go?"I sniffled, trying to sound worried. "Owen, you saw how he hit me too. If we don't go, I don't know what might happen."Owen opened his mouth to protest but eventually took my hand again. In the car, he stared out the window, lost in thought. After a while, he finally asked, "Mom, would you still love me like this if I did something wrong?" Even though I did not quite understand what he meant, I nodded reassuringly. "Of course, as long as you haven't killed anyone or committed serious crimes, I'll always love you."I hesitated for a moment and continued, "Wait, that's not right—I'll love you no matter what you do." Owen nodded, seeming to relax a bit after hearing my words. As soon as we arrived at the hospital, Simon approa
I immediately rushed to grab Simon, screaming desperately, "Owen, run! Your dad has lost his mind!"However, my strength was nothing compared to Simon's. He shoved me away hard, causing me to slam against the wall. The commotion quickly drew hospital staff to the scene. They tried to restrain Simon, but he was like a raging madman that no one dared to approach.I gathered myself and hugged Simon again, only letting go when I saw Owen had reached the hospital entrance. "Simon, wasn't beating Owen at home enough? There are people watching! He's a young man; he has his pride too." Simon knocked me to the ground with one push. His face was red with fury, his eyes blazing with anger. "His pride? Do you know what he did? He spent 800 thousand dollars from my card on games!" Simon roared.At these words, the hospital staff who had been trying to restrain Simon froze. They looked at each other helplessly, unsure how to handle the situation.The onlookers started muttering among thems
Fortunately, Simon retained a shred of sanity as he reached past me to grab Owen from behind my back. "Who taught you to steal money? Answer me!"He was about to strike again when Jack suddenly collapsed upon hearing the news. After all, 800 thousand dollars was not a small sum—it was the kind of money Simon's parents would have to work decades to earn. No one could have imagined Owen spending it all on in-game purchases. If Irene had not needed money for her hospital bills after Owen pushed her, Simon might not have discovered this for who knows how long.Simon shot Owen a vicious glare before rushing to attend to Jack. Meanwhile, Owen wiped the blood from his lips and watched Simon's retreating figure with dark eyes.I pretended not to notice Owen's expression and patted his back reassuringly. "Owen, don't worry. I'll always protect you."After Simon left, the crowd continued to whisper and point at Owen. "What kind of kid does something like this?""Those parents must have do
Simon's parents were not seriously hurt and were discharged from the hospital with just a couple of prescription medications. Back home, Owen glanced at me, and I gave him an encouraging nod. Getting Simon's forgiveness would not be easy this time. After all, 800 thousand dollars represented ten years of Simon's salary.Nonetheless, I knew Simon would have to forgive Owen because the latter was his child with Yuna. After Yuna's death, Owen was her only living relative in this world, and Simon's deep love for Yuna meant he would ultimately forgive their son.Just as I predicted, Simon remained silent even after Owen made lengthy promises never to touch games again. "Dad, I really know I was wrong, and I'll never do it again. Please forgive me, Dad."When Simon did not respond, Owen continued pleadingly, "Dad, Mom would want you to forgive me too."We all knew which "Mom" Owen was referring to, but I chose to play dumb at that moment. "That's right, Simon. Owen's just a child—ple
I asked, "Simon, minors can get refunds for in-app purchases. Why did you have to delete Owen's gaming accounts? It's his only hobby—why take that away from him too?"Simon roared, "Shut up! This is all your fault! Owen turned out this way because of you!"You spoiled him rotten, letting him play games, giving him money for in-app purchases, and feeding him junk food like burgers! Look what he's become—he's no better than a worthless bum!"The word "worthless" clearly struck a nerve with Owen. He stared at Simon blankly and asked, "Dad, you think I'm worthless?"Simon snapped back without hesitation. "Tell me, what have you done all summer break? What can you do besides playing games? "Your grandparents cook for you every day, but you won't touch the food they make and only want junk food. What good has any of that done you?"Just a little more pushing was all it would take. I gathered my strength and shouted, "The truth is that you've never treated Owen like your own child! Wou
I slumped to the floor dramatically. "Owen can't live without me, and I can't live without him! Unless I'm dead, you'll never separate us!" While I was wondering why Owen had been so quiet, I suddenly saw him pressing a kitchen knife against Simon's throat. Simon's parents panicked instantly, but Simon still thought Owen was just trying to scare him."Owen, I'll count to three! Put the knife down now, or I'll kill you!" Simon threatened."One... two..." But he never got to "three" because Owen's knife had already come down. "Help! Call the police!" Screams filled the air as Owen, not satisfied with one strike, continued his assault. Owen shouted, "You want to separate me from my mom? I hate your stupid pot roasts and your meatloaves. I only want the burgers Mom buys me! I hate studying; I only want to play games!"Why do you care so much about the money I spend? Am I not your child?" Simon's parents were paralyzed by the sight of blood pooling on the floor. By the time they
"Eunice, I've completed all the paperwork and brought him home," Simon Lincoln said as he guided a boy who appeared to be around ten years old toward me."Come on, this is your mom from now on," he encouraged the child.The word 'mom' hit me like a bolt of lightning. My whole body shuddered, and I nearly dropped the water glass in my hand. I quickly looked up toward the source of the voice and met a pair of eyes as dark as night.Simon was holding Owen Lincoln's hand while giving me a warm, affectionate smile. A wave of nausea suddenly washed over me, and I gulped down several mouthfuls of cold water until my stomach began to cramp uncomfortably before I finally set the glass down. "Eunice, are you alright?" Simon's voice was filled with concern, his eyes brimming with worry.Every gesture he made was thoughtful, as if I were his entire world. Since our marriage, he had always put me first and accommodated my every need. Even when I could not bear children, he took the blame an
I had given Owen the best of everything in my previous life because I did not want him to feel burdened. However, what I thought was care and love became chains of restraint in his eyes.His gaze toward me gradually shifted from genuine gratitude to indifference, and eventually to hatred. Of course, Simon's parents and Simon himself played their part in fostering that transformation. I decided to step back in this life. Whatever Owen became would have nothing to do with me, Eunice Campbell.During dinner time, Simon guided me to the kitchen, urging me to start preparing the meal. I turned to look at Owen and said, "What's the rush? We haven't even asked Owen what he'd like to eat yet."Simon smacked his forehead as realization hit him. "You're right! I completely forgot about that. Owen, what would you like to eat? Tell us, and we'll make it for you." A knowing smile played on my lips. What did he like to eat? Of course, I knew exactly what he wanted.Sure enough, Owen spoke up
I slumped to the floor dramatically. "Owen can't live without me, and I can't live without him! Unless I'm dead, you'll never separate us!" While I was wondering why Owen had been so quiet, I suddenly saw him pressing a kitchen knife against Simon's throat. Simon's parents panicked instantly, but Simon still thought Owen was just trying to scare him."Owen, I'll count to three! Put the knife down now, or I'll kill you!" Simon threatened."One... two..." But he never got to "three" because Owen's knife had already come down. "Help! Call the police!" Screams filled the air as Owen, not satisfied with one strike, continued his assault. Owen shouted, "You want to separate me from my mom? I hate your stupid pot roasts and your meatloaves. I only want the burgers Mom buys me! I hate studying; I only want to play games!"Why do you care so much about the money I spend? Am I not your child?" Simon's parents were paralyzed by the sight of blood pooling on the floor. By the time they
I asked, "Simon, minors can get refunds for in-app purchases. Why did you have to delete Owen's gaming accounts? It's his only hobby—why take that away from him too?"Simon roared, "Shut up! This is all your fault! Owen turned out this way because of you!"You spoiled him rotten, letting him play games, giving him money for in-app purchases, and feeding him junk food like burgers! Look what he's become—he's no better than a worthless bum!"The word "worthless" clearly struck a nerve with Owen. He stared at Simon blankly and asked, "Dad, you think I'm worthless?"Simon snapped back without hesitation. "Tell me, what have you done all summer break? What can you do besides playing games? "Your grandparents cook for you every day, but you won't touch the food they make and only want junk food. What good has any of that done you?"Just a little more pushing was all it would take. I gathered my strength and shouted, "The truth is that you've never treated Owen like your own child! Wou
Simon's parents were not seriously hurt and were discharged from the hospital with just a couple of prescription medications. Back home, Owen glanced at me, and I gave him an encouraging nod. Getting Simon's forgiveness would not be easy this time. After all, 800 thousand dollars represented ten years of Simon's salary.Nonetheless, I knew Simon would have to forgive Owen because the latter was his child with Yuna. After Yuna's death, Owen was her only living relative in this world, and Simon's deep love for Yuna meant he would ultimately forgive their son.Just as I predicted, Simon remained silent even after Owen made lengthy promises never to touch games again. "Dad, I really know I was wrong, and I'll never do it again. Please forgive me, Dad."When Simon did not respond, Owen continued pleadingly, "Dad, Mom would want you to forgive me too."We all knew which "Mom" Owen was referring to, but I chose to play dumb at that moment. "That's right, Simon. Owen's just a child—ple
Fortunately, Simon retained a shred of sanity as he reached past me to grab Owen from behind my back. "Who taught you to steal money? Answer me!"He was about to strike again when Jack suddenly collapsed upon hearing the news. After all, 800 thousand dollars was not a small sum—it was the kind of money Simon's parents would have to work decades to earn. No one could have imagined Owen spending it all on in-game purchases. If Irene had not needed money for her hospital bills after Owen pushed her, Simon might not have discovered this for who knows how long.Simon shot Owen a vicious glare before rushing to attend to Jack. Meanwhile, Owen wiped the blood from his lips and watched Simon's retreating figure with dark eyes.I pretended not to notice Owen's expression and patted his back reassuringly. "Owen, don't worry. I'll always protect you."After Simon left, the crowd continued to whisper and point at Owen. "What kind of kid does something like this?""Those parents must have do
I immediately rushed to grab Simon, screaming desperately, "Owen, run! Your dad has lost his mind!"However, my strength was nothing compared to Simon's. He shoved me away hard, causing me to slam against the wall. The commotion quickly drew hospital staff to the scene. They tried to restrain Simon, but he was like a raging madman that no one dared to approach.I gathered myself and hugged Simon again, only letting go when I saw Owen had reached the hospital entrance. "Simon, wasn't beating Owen at home enough? There are people watching! He's a young man; he has his pride too." Simon knocked me to the ground with one push. His face was red with fury, his eyes blazing with anger. "His pride? Do you know what he did? He spent 800 thousand dollars from my card on games!" Simon roared.At these words, the hospital staff who had been trying to restrain Simon froze. They looked at each other helplessly, unsure how to handle the situation.The onlookers started muttering among thems
Just as I finished treating Owen's injuries, Simon called. His voice was unnaturally calm on the other end of the line as he commanded, "Eunice, bring Owen to the hospital right now."Owen pulled away from my hand reluctantly. "Mom, do I have to go?"I sniffled, trying to sound worried. "Owen, you saw how he hit me too. If we don't go, I don't know what might happen."Owen opened his mouth to protest but eventually took my hand again. In the car, he stared out the window, lost in thought. After a while, he finally asked, "Mom, would you still love me like this if I did something wrong?" Even though I did not quite understand what he meant, I nodded reassuringly. "Of course, as long as you haven't killed anyone or committed serious crimes, I'll always love you."I hesitated for a moment and continued, "Wait, that's not right—I'll love you no matter what you do." Owen nodded, seeming to relax a bit after hearing my words. As soon as we arrived at the hospital, Simon approa
"Eunice, are you out of your mind? What are you doing?" Simon yelled as I advanced toward him with a large kitchen knife glinting in my hand."Simon, your mother is fine now, so why are you still treating Owen this way? Is it just because he's adopted?" I mustered all my strength into that accusation and charged at Simon like a woman possessed. Jack had already collapsed to the floor in terror, his old legs shaking as he kept muttering Simon's name. I seized my moment and swung the knife down hard, but it got stuck in the doorframe and would not budge no matter how hard I pulled.Simon was furious and raised his hand, landing a sharp slap across my face. Owen witnessed everything and lunged at Simon like a wild animal, grabbing his leg and biting down hard. "How dare you hit Mom! Don't hit her!"Simon frowned in disgust as he kicked Owen away. He pointed at Owen and spat out each word, "Owen, if anything happens to your grandmother, I'll make sure you pay for it."Perhaps terri
The secrets between Owen and me continued to multiply. For his 11th birthday, I even bought him a tablet. However, Simon set strict rules that he could only use it for two hours each day.While Owen agreed on the surface, he would secretly play with the tablet whenever Simon was at work. I would turn a blind eye to this and sometimes even warn him when someone was coming. The "bond" between Owen and me grew stronger each day, and he seemed to depend on me more and more. One day, he came to me with his tablet. "Mom, there's this special game package I want, but it's 68 dollars. Should I buy it?" I agreed without hesitation. "It's just 68 dollars, not 680. If you like it, get it. Isn't this why your dad and I work? To give you nice things?" With that, I immediately transferred 100 dollars to his account.Owen's eyes crinkled with joy. "Mom, you're the best!"Gradually, Owen became addicted to online gaming. His obsession grew so severe that he "accidentally" pushed Irene down
Halfway through our walk, Owen pulled away from me. He looked at me with puffed cheeks and said, "Mom, why did you agree with them? I don't want to go jogging at all."I gave him a concerned look. "But you heard what they said—they're worried that your weight might affect your health."Owen's expression gradually darkened, and I seized the opportunity to add, "But Owen, don't take their words too seriously. Boys should be big and strong to make girls feel protected. You'll grow up to protect me too, right?"Owen looked at me thoughtfully before nodding. "You're right, Mom. I won't take their words to heart. You're the only one in this family who truly cares about me."As we walked and talked, we passed by an arcade, and Owen stopped. "Mom, can we check it out?"I pretended to look hesitant while inwardly rejoicing. Of course, we would go in. Why else would I have led him this way?He started tugging at my hand pleadingly. "Please, Mom? Just this once? Pretty please? You're the be