Cade's POV
After being brought back home by my wealthy parents, they swore they'd make up for everything.
And since the "fake son" was mercilessly sent overseas, I was named the sole heir. But the day before I was supposed to sign the transfer of shares, I got into a terrible car accident.
My legs were shattered, and I lost my sight completely.
My mother was devastated, crying so hard that it felt like her heart might break. She even said she'd give me her own eyes if she could. Meanwhile, my father, usually kind and gentle, became cold and demanding, pushing for the driver responsible to be severely punished. He even tightened his grip over the company's shareholders to ensure my position as heir wouldn’t be shaken.
Overwhelmed with guilt, I went looking for him one day, only to overhear a conversation that froze me in place.
The voice belonged to Jed Tillery— the "fake son" who was supposedly exiled overseas. "Wasn't making him the heir just a front? I'm back now after studying abroad. When exactly is he getting shipped back to the countryside?"
My mother softly reassured, "Your father is just putting on a show so that he'll step down on his own. That country bumpkin grew up in a village; there's no way he can compare to you. We carefully raised you for over twenty years."
After a short pause, she added with chilling calmness, "Besides, I personally arranged for that accident. Had his legs crushed and made sure the doctors took his corneas to give to you. How could a crippled blind man ever take over the company?"
With an equally cold voice, my father said, "Just be patient. Your mother and I will clear the path for you."
I stood there, frozen. The accident that had left me in agony was no accident at all. My own parents had orchestrated it — all for the sake of this imposter. They were willing to destroy me for him.
Fine. If that’s how they wanted to play it, I wouldn’t forgive them.
——
"I knew Mom still cared about me," Jed said, his voice full of smugness. "Here, I got you this sapphire ring from an auction overseas. Try it on."
My mother’s eyes lit up as she slipped the ring onto her finger, but then she sighed as if remembering something unpleasant.
"It really is different having you close to me. That other boy's been back for over a year, and the only thing he ever gave me was some painting he did himself. Absolutely worthless." She scoffed, "If it weren’t for the fact that he has my blood running through his veins, he wouldn’t still be in this house."
Indifferent, my father interrupted, "It doesn’t matter. Soon enough, once he’s out of the hospital, I’ll arrange a press conference. He'll have no choice but to announce he's leaving the company, and then we'll send him abroad. Give him a couple of caretakers and a few million as a payoff. That should be enough to cut ties with him for good."
Fury burned through me, my fists clenching so tightly that my nails dug into my palms.
Jed smirked and asked, "But what if he refuses? Our family's fortune is worth billions. What if he clings to the company like a leech and won’t let go?"
My father simply snorted. "Even if he tries, the shareholders would never accept him. And if he pushes back, we can have him declared mentally unstable and send him overseas for treatment."
His voice then dropped, turning colder as he continued, "If he behaves, I don’t mind supporting him. But if he doesn’t... well, a blind, crippled man overwhelmed with despair? It wouldn’t be surprising if he took his own life."
I felt the blood drain from my body.
This man — my father — was talking about my death as if it were nothing.
Honestly, I had never felt warmth from this family. When they brought me back a year ago, they cried and apologized for losing me, swearing they’d spent every moment of the past twenty years missing me. They claimed they’d cast Jed aside for my sake, sending him overseas despite raising him for over two decades.
Back then, I said I was willing to get along with Jed, but my parents refused. They insisted they didn’t want me to carry any emotional baggage.
Yet, I’d seen my mother quietly wiping her tears at night. I knew she could never truly let go of Jed.
