Chapter 2

As the little boy spoke, he stood up and stumbled toward the exit.

Mrs. Morrison snapped out of her shock. "Wait a moment!"

Her voice was loud from excitement. The little boy immediately covered his head with his arms, crouched on the ground, and trembled all over.

His lips quivered as he spoke. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I won't do it again, Mom, please don't hit me!"

"I'll slap myself right now, until you're satisfied."

He raised his hand to strike his own face, but Garrett grabbed it to stop him.

Garrett's expression was dark as he spoke in disbelief. "Stop it!"

The boy first looked at me timidly, then quickly lowered his head with a frightened expression.

Mrs. Morrison crouched down and tentatively touched his head. "Good child, don't be afraid. Just tell us what happened."

The boy immediately lifted his head, tears welling in his eyes as he looked at Mrs. Morrison. "Grandma, you're so kind. Mom has never spoken to me so gently..."

"After she gave birth to me, Dad ran away, so Mom has always hated me."

"She always calls me a filthy dog."

"Until I was three, Mom kept me chained to a tree and fed me from a dog bowl!"

"Later, the neighbors couldn't stand it anymore and said they'd call the police to report her for child abuse. Only then did she let me live inside the house..."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the Morrison family turned their eyes directly toward me.

Garrett pointed at me and shouted angrily, "Melissa, are you even human?"

"He's your own biological son!"

"You couldn't control yourself, had a shameless affair with some random man and had a child, but you took all your resentment out on the child!"

"Someone like you doesn't deserve to be part of our Morrison family!"

Mrs. Morrison also shook her head, looking at me with disappointment. "If you're this cruel to your own biological son, how could you have any genuine feelings for us?"

"It seems this child is right—you're just after the Morrison family's wealth, wanting to enjoy it without working for it!"

The fake heiress, Helena, who had been silent until now, quickly reached out to rub Mrs. Morrison's back.

"Mom, you're not in good health. Don't get angry!"

"I'm sure Melissa must have her reasons. If you have any grievances, just explain them clearly to Mom."

"Were you... forced?"

I didn't answer her. Instead, I looked at the boy and caught a flash of triumphant satisfaction in his eyes.

Seeing me look his way, he immediately started trembling again and spoke timidly. "Mom, don't worry, I definitely won't tell Grandma that you want to kick out her adopted daughter and take over the Morrison family!"

"You also said that the fake heiress stole your life, and after she's kicked out of the Morrison family, you'll find several men to defile her and make her suffer every humiliation!"

After speaking, he quickly covered his mouth, pretending to be remorseful as he murmured, "Mom, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that out loud..."

I looked at him with a half-smile. "You certainly didn't leave out a single thing you were supposed to say."

"Haven't you heard? Children who lie get punished and turn into mutes."

The boy's face instantly paled. His eyes widened in terror.

"Melissa, shut your mouth!" Garrett's face flushed red with anger. "You dare threaten a child right in front of us!"

"You want to kick Helena out? You even want to find people to defile her? How can you be so vicious!"

"Let me tell you, even if we kick you out, we'll never drive Helena away!"

"She'll always be my sister!"

Mrs. Morrison nodded in agreement. "That's right! Melissa, even though we've brought you back, Helena is still my daughter. You must accept that!"

Helena's eyes reddened. She took several deep breaths and walked up to me.

"I don't blame you, because I really did take your life."

She reached out and grasped my hand.

"But I can't bear to leave Mom, Dad, and my brother. Please don't make me leave... Can't we just be real sisters?"

"I'll spend my entire life making it up to you!"

"Ah!" As soon as Helena finished speaking, she suddenly cried out in pain and pulled her hand back.

She looked at me in surprise, her voice aggrieved. "Melissa, why... why did you pinch me?"

Seeing this, the boy quickly stepped forward and grabbed the hem of my clothes.

"Mom, calm down. You can't just hit people randomly. Only me—you can only hit me."

As he spoke, he deliberately rolled up his sleeve, revealing bruises on his arm.