?Chapter 1012:


    “My father also cared for me, even died attempting to save me, but he lied to me. He just wanted to save his brother’s son!”


    “I am not him!” Joelle protested vehemently. “Every day since you disappeared, I’ve scoured the earth for you! I never ceased searching for over a decade!”


    “My father also maintained his loving facade for over a decade!” Rnd’s voice rose above hers. “Is it so difficult to feign affection? Should I be grateful for your performance?”


    Joelle oscited between disbelief and dismay. “Rnd, how can you think such things? I’m not pretending, my feelings are genuine! Back then, Wade nned to use you merely as a source for Chris’ survival, which is why he took you. And Katie discarded you in an orphanage at birth! I was the one who rescued you, who loved you as if you were my own. Whether you call me mother or aunt doesn’t matter to me; all I want is for you to be safe and near.”


    A fierce storm brewed within Rnd, igniting anew. Here was yet another narrative. Everyone seemed righteous, and yet he was the one perpetually forsaken.


    “I don’t trust Wade, nor that woman in the sanatorium, and I’m not about to start believing you. You say you’re sincere? Prove it! Bring that woman back from the sanatorium within three days. Fail, and whether I live or die will no longer concern you.”


    Disbelief and hurt shed in Joelle’s eyes. “Are you using suicide to threaten—?”


    Rnd knew she was hurting, but what choice did he have? He had nothing left—his life was the only thing he could put on the line.


    Sometimes, the ones who stood their ground the hardest were the ones with nowhere else to go.


    Even after saying it, he wasn’t sure if Joelle would agree.


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    That evening, when Adrian came home from work, Joelle pulled him straight into the study. Their voices rose almost instantly, echoing through the house in a heated argument.


    The three kids couldn’t help bute out to see what was going on. Aurora, who had lived with Joelle and Adrian the longest as the eldest, had never seen them fight like this before.


    Molly, who had been withdrawn since Lucas left, had temporarily stopped picking fights with Rnd. But the moment she realized the argument was about him, her frustration boiled over. She turned on Rnd, her voice sharp. “Are you happy now? Haven’t Mom and Dad done enough for you? Why do you have to make things harder for them?”


    “Molly,” Aurora chided her, trying to de-escte the building tension between the two.


    Fortunately, Rnd didn’t bother responding. He just scoffed, turned on his heel, and walked back to his room.


    The study hadn’t quieted down until an hourter. Joelle emerged and gathered the three kids for a family meeting.


    They would bring Katie back from the sanatorium, but she would be responsible for herself.


    Molly was the first to object. “Are you guys serious? It’s bad enough having a stranger in the house. Now we’re adding another one?”


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