As soon as I reached the door, the pain in my chest nearly made me faint. I leaned against the wall and squatted down, quickly rummaging around to find powerful painkillers. I swallowed several pills in a row before relief finally arrived.

In the ward, I heard my mom still scolding me for my indifference. She thought I did not care about Sean, but I knew that my presence would make Sean uncomfortable.

It was his usual way of competing for attention, but he did not even need to do so, because my parents, Winnie, and Cynthia all loved the fake heir.

Just like the name my parents gave me. Klose meant, "Don't get close. Don't get close to us..." It was the name they gave me on the first day I came back after being missing for 16 years.

My mom said she hoped I would be cautious and never lose myself because of the sudden wealth and honor. I thought she was sincerely educating me until I heard my mom comforting Sean that night.

She said she and my dad only regarded him as their son, and that they named me "Klose" so that I would not get close to them.

That night, I felt like someone had poured a bucket of cold water on me. It was a rude awakening from the joy of finally having parents. I should have known long ago that I had always been an unwanted child.

After leaving the hospital in a daze, I took a taxi to Sean's research lab. I had already agreed to donate my body for cryonics revival experiments.

As I was signing the agreement, the staff member asked, "Mr. Morgan, do your parents and wife know about your decision?"

I smiled and answered calmly, "They all respect and support my decision."

The staff member said enviously, "That's wonderful. Your family must love you very much to hope that one day you can be resurrected."

Looking at her envious eyes, I felt as if I had truly become someone deeply loved by their parents and loved ones.

I smiled and answered, "Yeah, who doesn't love their family?" With that said, I handed over the agreement.

After confirming everything was correct, I left and returned home. As soon as I walked in, I saw my belongings piled up in the living room. I frowned at Linda Lester, who stood there instructing everyone. She was the nanny who raised Sean. I wondered why she was here.

Like my parents, Linda hated me — the true heir.

When she saw me, she said with a fake smile, "Mr. Klose, Sean is getting discharged today. Ms. Lowe asked me to take care of him and choose a room for him to recuperate in. The master bedroom is well-ventilated from north to south, so I cleaned it up for Sean to recuperate in. The other rooms in the villa are all being used, so we can only have you stay in the downstairs storage room."

I answered calmly, "Okay."

Linda probably did not expect me to be so apathetic about it. She swallowed back everything she was about to say. She looked at me suspiciously and asked, "Mr. Klose, aren't you angry?"

I shook my head and turned around to walk toward the storage room.

Linda said disdainfully, "It looks like you've finally become mature. It would have been better if you had come to your senses earlier. If you had, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan wouldn't have hated you so much."

I said nothing as I entered the storage room, and a pungent, moldy smell hit my nose. The cramped space was filled with a wide variety of items. There was only a one-meter-wide small bed, half of which was filled with books, and the other half was empty.

I lay down and drifted off into a deep sleep. I was so tired that all I wanted was a good night's sleep...

However, even such a small wish escaped me.

It was unknown how long it had been before I was jolted awake by a strong force. When I opened my eyes, I saw Winnie's eyes, filled with panic.

Seeing me awake, her worried expression instantly turned icy. She questioned loudly, "Why did you post about our marriage online? Do you know that a lot of people are cyberbullying Sean right now? He’s just had surgery and is fragile. He was so furious about this that he fainted! I thought you'd really learned your lesson, but it turned out that you were just secretly plotting revenge against us!"

I only felt like a hammer was slamming inside my head. The intense pain made it difficult for me to hear her words, and I could only weakly reply, "I didn't do anything... If you don't believe me, you can look at my phone."

Winnie roared angrily, "Enough! Those reporters have admitted that you paid them to publicize this! How long are you going to keep pretending? Come with me to apologize to Sean!"

Winnie pulled me roughly off the bed and dragged me outside. She walked so fast that my leg hit the door frame hard with a thud, and the pain made me shiver instantly. However, she just glanced back at me and continued dragging me outside.

When I arrived at the hall, she threw me to the ground. I felt as if all my bones were falling apart. Just as I was about to stand up, my dad rushed over and slapped me several times.

A bloody stench that nothing could contain gushed up.

I looked up to see Sean sitting next to my mom, looking vulnerable.

My mom shot me a furious glare. Her dark eyes were filled with disgust and hatred toward me. It was as if she could not satisfy her hatred even if I suffered a thousand beatings.

My gaze was so indifferent that my dad threw a punch at me, which made me cough up blood.

Blood splashed all over his hands and face, and he was momentarily stunned. I collapsed from exhaustion, and blood began to ooze from my nose.

Winnie rushed forward in terror, anxiously asking, "What's wrong? Why did you vomit so much blood?"

I looked at her. Her hands were shaking as if she were genuinely worried about me. I pushed her hands away. Just as I was about to get up, I began to cough up blood again.

Fear finally appeared in my dad's eyes. He shook his head and said, "I...I just slapped him a few times. I didn't do anything else!"

With that said, he asked with a rare tone of concern, "Klose, what's wrong? I... I'm taking you to the hospital now..."

My mom also came over and asked, "What's wrong? Quick, help Klose up."

My daughter, Cynthia, also rushed over, sobbing, "Dad, you're bleeding so much. Are you going to die?"

My dad snapped, "Don't spout nonsense!"

Just then, Linda suddenly came out, holding a bag. She angrily said, "Mr. Klose, how could you scare Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Morgan, and Ms. Lowe with a blood bag?"

'Blood bag? What blood bag?' I wondered.

Before I could react, my mom had already rushed over to Linda. She took one glance at what she was holding and threw it to the ground in a fit of rage.

She angrily cursed, "Klose! You're indeed cunning! How dare you try to use blood bags to trick us into sympathizing with you!"

I smiled bitterly and shook my head. I had clearly learned my lesson, so why did they not spare me?

Winnie crouched down, looked at me with disappointment, and asked, "Klose, how did you become like this?"

My dad furiously kicked me and said with disgust, "You rebel! You're indeed a wild brat from the countryside. You're unscrupulous and cold-blooded! You're not even half as good as Sean! No, you're nothing compared to Sean!"

I said nothing, only swallowing the blood I was about to spit out.

Cynthia, who had thrown herself into my arms, pushed me to the ground in disgust. She frowned and said, "Dad, I thought that you'd changed. You're so mean. I don't like you anymore!"

Then, she ran over to Sean, lay on his lap, and said, "I want Uncle Sean to be my dad!"

I felt disheartened as I clenched my hands tightly — even though my nails were piercing my palms.

Winnie sighed, raised her hand to wipe the corner of my eye, and asked, "You know how hard it is to be betrayed by the person closest to you, so why did you do it? Sean's reputation is now ruined, and our company's stock is in turmoil. This is all because of you. So not only must you apologize, but you must also make amends."

I wanted to say I knew nothing, but Sean started sobbing, "Forget it, Winnie... Klose has repeatedly hurt me. I'm afraid asking him to apologize will only make him hate me more. I don't know why Klose hates me so much, but... I'm willing to let it go for Dad, Mom, and you, Winnie."

My mom said heartbrokenly, "Sean, you're just too kind. That's why he bullies you. Don't worry. We'll always be by your side. With us protecting you, he'll never have the chance to hurt you again."

After saying that, she looked at me coldly and warned, "Listen carefully. For the sake of the Morgans' and the Lowes' reputation, our two families have already reached a solution. You and Winnie will get a divorce tomorrow, and then she and Sean will get married. We'll announce publicly that Winnie and Sean have already gotten their marriage certificate. It's only because you're in poor health and you like her that we've hidden this from you."

I looked at Winnie and asked, "Did you agree too?"

Winnie avoided my gaze, frowning impatiently. "It can't be helped. You caused this."

She said after a pause. "But don't worry. This is just a temporary solution. Once the storm is over, I'll divorce Sean."

I looked at her. Even though I had tons to say, I no longer had the strength to speak.

Perhaps she felt guilty, or she felt my silence was a form of defiance; it irritated her. She said gloomily, "Whether you agree or not, I..."

I retorted slowly, "Congratulations and have a happy wedding."

Winnie's voice came to an abrupt halt. She stared at me blankly, feeling an indescribable sense of panic. It felt like I was a light piece of paper that could be blown away at any time to somewhere far away from her.

I slowly got up, leaned against the wall, and wiped the blood off my face. I looked at my mom and said, "Winnie and I didn't get registered for marriage, so she can marry Sean right away."

My mom asked in surprise, "You didn't get registered?"

Winnie looked upset. She frowned and explained, "I was very busy, and later we just forgot."

My mom clapped her hands and replied, "It's good that you didn't get registered."

My daughter, Cynthia, glanced timidly at me and asked, "So will Uncle Sean be my dad from now on?"

I nodded at her and asked with a smile, "Are you happy?"

Cynthia jumped up excitedly and said, "Great! Uncle Sean will be my dad from now on!"

After saying that, seemingly afraid that I would be upset, she added, "Dad, no... Uncle Klose. As long as you promise not to bully Uncle Sean again, I will still like you."

I looked down and whispered, "Got it."

Sean burst into tears of joy and asked, "Klose, are you really willing to let Winnie marry me?"

I answered calmly, "Yes, and don't treat her like a sister-in-law anymore."

Sean glanced lovingly at Winnie. He thought that Winnie would be happy, but he found her staring at me.

He instantly clutched his sleeves and lowered his eyes to hide the jealousy. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with innocence. He said sincerely, "Thank you, Klose."

I shook my head and replied calmly, "We're family. There's no need to be so polite. Besides, I'll need your care in the future."

Sean had no idea that I had donated my body to his lab. He thought I was just being polite and immediately answered with a smile, "We're brothers. I'll definitely take good care of you."

Watching us "reconcile", my mom nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's right. If you'd been sensible earlier, why would your dad and I be mad at you?"

I looked at her, wanting to ask if that was really the case.

I was the Morgans' heir, but everyone thought I was their adopted son.

It was Winnie who insisted on marrying me, yet everyone thought I was the despicable homewrecker.

I willingly took care of her and her daughter without any official title, yet everyone thought I was scheming.

I slowly closed my eyes, fighting back the tears that poured over. I no longer wanted to embarrass myself in front of them. I knew if I showed any displeasure, Sean would immediately act hurt. Then, even my pain would look like a mistake.

When I opened my eyes again, my heart that had ached for so long went completely numb. It was like an old clock that had completely stopped. I looked at Winnie and saw her staring at me, a hint of heartache in her eyes.

I found it absurd, so I muttered, "Can I go back and rest now?"

Winnie replied with a nod, "Yeah, go ahead."

I breathed a sigh of relief and slowly made my way to the storage room. My mom said, "Pack up and move back home. There are reporters everywhere now. If people find out that you've been living at your sister-in-law's house, who knows what kind of speculation it will ignite."

I nodded obediently and answered, "Okay."

My mom asked Winnie to take me home. After we went out, she suddenly grabbed my hand and said, "I'll enter the operating room with you in a week. We'll have a good chat after you're done. Sean and I...aren't what you think."

I looked at Sean's sudden change of expression, smiled at Winnie, and replied, "Okay."

However, she had no idea that I would never have the chance to listen to her hypocritical excuses again.

Winnie looked at me strangely, feeling as if the man standing before her was a heartless block of wood. She said, somewhat irritably, "Let's go."

After getting in the car, we drove in silence. Winnie tried to speak several times, but the sight of my pale, blood-stained face diminished her urge.

We were halfway there when she got a call from my mom.

She pulled over and said anxiously, "Sean suddenly fainted. It might be a severe immune rejection reaction. I need to rush back. You can take a taxi."

I glanced at the dashboard. It was 3 AM. This was a remote elevated freeway. A taxi? Where would I get one? However, I said nothing and obediently got out of the car.

Before I could even steady myself, Winnie hit the accelerator and drove off.

The roar of the sports car ripped my heart apart. I clutched my chest, taking a long moment to recover from the ripping pain.

Just as I had calmed down, the muffled sound of thunder rumbled from the sky. It was as if the heavens were displeased with my cowardice and were roaring in anger.

Soon, raindrops as big as beans began to fall, hitting my head and causing a sharp pain.

I heard a thudding sound and soon realized it was hail. I quickly covered my head and walked forward, the hard hailstones hammering my hands and face. My vision went black as I walked, and I fell to the ground.

A long time later, I thought I heard ambulance sirens, followed by the familiar voice of my attending doctor. He seemed to be crying, repeatedly asking, "What happened? He had another week to live, how could he suddenly... suddenly die?"

'My ribs hurt so much. Doctor, you seem to be pressing hard on me. Are you giving me CPR? But... I'm in so much pain... Living hurts... Let me go...' I thought.

Beep...

Patient Klose Morgan died at 5 AM on June 1st at the age of 28. At the same time, the renowned Ingenuity Medical Research Lab received his body and cryopreserved it.