The Son They Never Wanted Became the One They Needed Chapter 08

The Son They Never Wanted Became the One They Needed Chapter 08

My question struck exactly where it hurt.

Vanessa’s face flushed with anger.

She grabbed my arm and tried to drag me toward the campus entrance.

“Stop making things up.”

“You’re coming home with me, and we’re settling this.”

The commotion immediately caught the attention of students walking past the library.

Several guys rushed over and pulled us apart.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“We knew something was off.”

“You can’t just come onto campus and drag someone away.”

“Where’s campus security? Get them out of here!”

Without anyone asking, a crowd of students gathered around me.

They formed a wall between me and Vanessa and Natalie, watching them with open suspicion.

The kindness of complete strangers surrounded me.

My nose stung.

My eyes quietly filled with tears.

People who had never met me instinctively knew how to protect me.

Yet the people bound to me by blood,

Had become the heaviest chains I’d ever carried.

Campus security arrived a few moments later.

Vanessa and Natalie Brooks were quickly escorted off campus.

Once the noise faded,

My life finally returned to peace.

Autumn arrived before I knew it.

Golden leaves covered the walkways across campus.

One afternoon after class, I spotted Mom and Logan waiting near the campus entrance.

In just a few months, Mom had aged noticeably.

Gray strands had appeared at her temples.

Even Logan had lost the polished confidence he’d always worn so proudly.

The arrogance that once filled his face was gone.

Mom looked at me with exhausted regret.

She reached out to touch my arm.

I quietly stepped aside.

“Ethan.”

“I know I was wrong.”

“We neglected you.”

“Can you forgive us?”

Logan lowered his head.

“I’m sorry too.”

Then his tone shifted, unable to hide the grievance underneath.

“Ethan.”

“If you were unhappy, you could’ve talked to us.”

“You didn’t have to disappear without saying anything and run off to Ashford City.”

“Now everyone online is talking about our family.”

My heart remained cold.

“I didn’t talk to you?”

“I told you I didn’t want to live in that room carved out of the balcony.”

“You told me to just deal with it.”

“I told you my allowance wasn’t enough.”

“Mom called me ungrateful.”

“All I wanted was one school ID photo from our family portrait.”

“Vanessa deleted it without a second thought.”

“But if Logan said he wanted something to eat.”

“You bought it that same day.”

“If he wanted Disneyland pictures.”

“The whole family went with him.”

“If he said his iPhone was old.”

“Vanessa transferred him money the very next day.”

“You’ve spent your whole lives revolving around him.”

“Every word he said became law.”

“But the moment I spoke up for myself.”

“I became the unreasonable one.”

Mom’s tears streamed down her face again.

“Ethan…”

“I know I was wrong.”

“From now on—”

“There won’t be a ‘from now on.'”

I looked straight into her eyes.

“Starting today…”

“Just pretend you never had a son like me.”

“After all, for the past eighteen years…”

“It wasn’t much different.”

“Now you can finally give every bit of your love to Logan.”

“You won’t have to keep setting aside that tiny leftover piece just to pretend you cared about me.”

When I finished speaking,

I turned around and walked toward the academic building.

This time,

I never looked back.