?<strong>Chapter 1011:</strong>


    He seemed like a capricious yet breakable child.


    Joelle’s heart was heavy with sympathy for him.


    Rnd had endured a life marred by instability and loss alongside Wade. He had watched Wade die; he had learned that the revered father he knew was a facade after encountering Katie.


    Ultimately, Joelle chose to pacify Rnd, to keep him from storming out once more.


    “Can we talk about this when your uncle is back?”


    Rnd’s reply was cutting. “He may be my uncle. What are you to me, then?”


    Joelle caught her breath. “Has Katie told you?”


    With a sneer, Rnd asked, “Did you really raise me?”


    Joelle remained silent, her silence a reluctant admission.


    Rnd stepped closer. “You took me in, yet you failed to care for me properly. No wonder my father… my uncle took me back.”


    At that moment, Rnd saw the world as utterly mad.


    The woman he thought was his aunt had raised him as her own son, his father turned out to be his uncle, his uncle was actually his father, and his mother had deceived him.


    Rnd’s thoughts were in disarray.


    Some are born as symbols of their parents’ affection, others as heirs to continue the family name. Regardless of the intent, each life begins with a hope.


    Yet, he felt utterly redundant. No one had truly wanted him.


    The perennial existential questions: where did he originate, and what was his destiny?


    His entire life’s narrative had been scrambled, taking eighteen tumultuous years to unravel.


    “Now, what do you expect from me? You have two daughters; am I just here to round out the set with a son?”


    “How can you see it that way?” Joelle responded hastily, her agitation clear. “What has Katie filled your head with? Rnd, think for yourself! Don’t let others sway you!”


    “Then let me hear your side of the story,” Rnd retorted. “She’s told her tale, now you tell yours. I’ll judge who seems more credible. I’ve been nothing more than a pawn all along. Whoever ims me, that’s where I’ll go.”


    Joelle clenched her fists.


    Storm clouds gathered ominously outside, heralding a downpour.


    “Is the past so significant to you? From the moment you were injured, your uncle and I risked everything to retrieve you. And I have nurtured you with nothing but devotion since. Shouldn’t we focus on the present? Why doubt our intentions based on hearsay?”


    With a loud crack, a lightning bolt struck, briefly illuminating Rnd’s face. A chilly wind blew in, enveloping Joelle in cold air, while Rnd watched her with an unreadable expression.


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