As for Casimir, although Natalia often berated him, his academic performance wasn’t bad. However, when he excitedly presented several awards to Natalia, she tore them into shreds right in front of him.
His face turned pale with fear.
"Getting a few awards makes you so smug, huh? No matter how hard you try, you’re still trash!" she snarled.
Natalia never held back her insults toward Casimir.
I figured it was because, in her eyes, Casimir was my son, and she truly hated me.
Her relentless spoiling of Nathan only made him despise me more. But since I controlled the family’s finances, Nathan was still afraid of me.
On the surface, he didn’t dare act out, but behind my back, his rebellion knew no bounds.
Meanwhile, under Natalia’s relentless oppression, Casimir grew increasingly twisted.
Time flew, and the boys reached high school.
One day, the driver brought them home. Nathan’s clothes were wrinkled, and there was a faint bruise at the corner of his mouth. But Casimir looked far worse—his face was bruised and swollen, and his arm was cut.
Natalia, her eyes red with worry, rushed to Nathan. "Nathan, you’re hurt! Does it hurt? Are you okay?"
Then, without a second thought, she kicked Casimir several times. "You worthless brat! Didn’t I tell you to protect Nathan? If you can’t fight, at least take the hits for him!"
Natalia had purposely arranged for the two boys to be in the same class so Casimir could look after Nathan.
Casimir endured the blows silently, gritting his teeth without uttering a sound.
I finally stepped in to stop her violent outburst.
After some questioning, I learned what had happened.
Nathan had been provoked by the school bully. Unable to control his temper, he attacked the bully first.
But he couldn’t win, and it was Casimir who took most of the beating on his behalf.
The more Nathan explained, the more embarrassed he became.
When Natalia learned the truth, she merely snorted coldly. "He should take the hits for Nathan—it’s an honor for him!"
Then she turned back to Nathan, anxiously fussing over him. "Nathan, are you sure you’re okay? Does anywhere hurt? Should we go to the hospital just to be safe?"
Her overly dramatic concern made me scoff.
"With injuries this minor, they’ll heal before you even get to the hospital," I spat coldly.
Natalia glared at me. "How can you say that? Isn’t he still your son?"
Ah, but he wasn’t really my son.
Seeing my lack of reaction, Natalia froze, as if realizing she’d misspoken. "Uh, that’s not what I meant. I just think, what if he’s got internal injuries—"
Before she could finish, Casimir, who was curled up on the floor, finally snapped.
His voice was dry, tinged with anger. "Mom, I took the beating for Nathan. Why is it that you never care about me?"
Both Natalia and I were stunned.
I had assumed the years of abuse had broken his spirit entirely.
Casimir’s words seemed to strike a nerve in Natalia. She slammed her high heel into his chest without mercy. "How dare you talk back to me? You deserve to be beaten, you worthless scum! Why would I care about you when I have Nathan?"
Natalia didn’t stop until the tip of her red high heel was smeared dark with blood.
Breathing heavily, she finally stepped back.
She turned to me, smiling awkwardly. "I’m so sorry, Catherine. What a mess—you must think it’s a joke."
But Casimir wasn’t conscious anymore.
Regardless of whether he was my biological son or not, there was no way I could watch him die.
In the end, both Nathan and Casimir were taken to the hospital.
Most of the medical staff focused on saving Casimir.
His shirt was cut open, revealing his painfully thin frame. His ribs were visible even as he lay there. His emaciated body was covered in layers of old and new wounds, barely leaving any unscarred flesh.
