Chapter 3

Leo’s small hand was freezing, his slender fingers cautiously hooking into my palm with a pressure so faint it felt fragile as glass.

Bryan’s face was completely dark, his voice tight with suppressed fury as he deliberately put on the posture of the head of the household.

"Evelyn, what on earth is wrong with you today? It’s a minor thing between children. Why do you have to ruin the entire mood of the house?"

Seeing the dynamic, Elliot immediately took his cue to lower his head, clutching his hands tightly in a show of helpless obedience.

"Evelyn, I’m sorry, it’s my fault," he said, his voice soft and so impeccably polite you couldn't pick out a single fault. "I shouldn't have touched Leo’s toy. Please don't be mad, and don't blame Bryan. I won't ever fight over Leo’s things again."

With those words, right and wrong were instantly flipped.

In Bryan’s eyes, Elliot was the mature, understanding child who owned up to his mistakes, while I was the aggressive bully picking on an innocent boy.

Sure enough, Bryan’s tone grew even colder. "Do you hear that? Elliot is far more sensible than you. He’s ten years old and bends over backward to make concessions for six-year-old Leo. Instead of praising him, you insist on falsely accusing him of bullying."

In my past life, I was fooled by this exact hypocritical routine for ten whole years.

I looked up, meeting Bryan’s gaze without backing down an inch. "Bends over backward? Concessions?"

I raised my hand, pointing straight at Elliot’s tightly clenched fist. "Open your hands."

Elliot’s body went rigid, and he instinctively hid his hands behind his back.

"Afraid?" I stepped half a pace closer, my presence completely overpowering him. "You didn't just grab his toy. You pinched the bear's ear and twisted it as hard as you could and whispered threats into his ear, didn't you?"

Leo didn't know how to report him; when he was terrified, he only suffered in silence.

Elliot’s eyes grew redder, but panic flickered deep within them. His voice took on a deliberate, tearful choke. "I didn't... Evelyn, I was just trying to help him clean up his toys..."

"Drop the act." I didn't waste my breath playing his game and exposed his years of manipulation on the spot. "I used to think Leo was just petty, prone to crying, and gloomy. But starting today, I will never believe a single word out of your mouth again."

Bryan lost his temper completely, taking a step forward and scolding me in a low, harsh voice. "Evelyn! Know your limits! Elliot is just a child too—how can you say such things to him?"

"Leo is already anti-social and sensitive. Instead of guiding him to be open, you indulge him like this! He’s only going to turn out worse!"

The same old speech.

Always favoring the outsider, always tearing down his own son.

In my past life, half of Leo’s depression was driven by Elliot’s long-term micro-aggressions, and the other half was pushed by the endless bias and rejection from Bryan and me.

I looked down at the tiny boy in my arms.

Leo lowered his long eyelashes, his small shoulders trembling slightly. Hearing Bryan’s words, he instinctively shrank behind me, pressing his small head tightly against my arm, filled with fear and insecurity.

In that moment, my heart melted into pure agony, and my hatred flared even hotter.