It was just one sentence spoken by the System, but my tears were already welling up.

I awkwardly wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes.

Scarlett walked up to me. She was about to say something when William rushed over to her in shock. "Scarlett, how did you end up so badly hurt? You—"

Before he could finish speaking, I cut him off with a vicious punch.

Putting a hand to his bruised cheek, William stared at me in disbelief.

Almost at the same time, I was knocked to the ground by a powerful slap that caught me by surprise. I accidentally bit my tongue.

Emily was pointing at me, her face filled with fury as she said, "Adrian! We've spoiled you too much! Apologize to Will right now!"

I lay sprawled on the ground, spitting out the blood in my mouth as I challenged, "Me? Apologize? What exactly did I do wrong? He ruined my marriage, but I'm not allowed to hit him?"

Emily grew even angrier and suddenly raised her voice. "What nonsense are you spouting? Will and Sophie were already dating, but you just had to get between them! I can't believe I have a brother as shameless as you!"

I scoffed. "Shameless? Sophie is my fiancee, but now you're saying I'm the one who got between them?"

Sophie stared coldly at me. "Our engagement was called off ages ago! I will never marry a disgraceful playboy like you!"

Iris pulled me to my feet. "Adrian! Apologize right now!"

I didn't say a word as my gaze swept across the people standing before me.

Emily had a cold look in her eyes. Iris seemed disgusted, and Sophie looked like she wanted me to just die already.

Scarlett frowned. Her lips moved a little, but in the end, she remained silent.

The scene reminded me of something that happened a year ago. William had been in frequent contact with Scarlett, and her fans mistook him for a stalker.

Scarlett couldn't bear to see him mistreated, so she revealed on social media that William was the son of the Parker family.

But I, the actual son, had to take the blame for William.

They said things like, "You always have bodyguards with you when you go out, but Will is all alone!"

I was shocked, but I fought back and refused to give in.

At the time, everyone looked at me the same way they were doing right now.

Filled with nothing but unspeakable exhaustion, I didn't even have the energy to argue anymore.

Shaking off Iris' hand, I dashed into the living room and picked up the paring knife left on the table.

Startled, Scarlett tried to rush over to me, but William stopped her. "Ade, what are you doing?"

I looked at William, grinning. "I'm apologizing."

Looking away from Emily, Iris, and Sophie, who seemed to be on high alert, I lifted my hand and swiftly plunged the blade into my chest.

Screams rang out around me. I smiled through my tears as I said, "I'm compensating him with my life. That should be enough, right? Are you happy now?"

As warm, thick blood gushed out, the dizziness from the loss of blood made me lose my balance.

Someone was still screaming, and through my darkening vision, I could see the fear on the women's faces.

Scarlett rushed forward and held my body, screaming in a frenzy, "Call the ambulance!"

…

I could smell the intense scent of disinfectant when I opened my eyes.

White flooded my vision, and I felt a little excited. "Did I finally make it back?" I wondered.

I tilted my head only to see Emily's bloodshot eyes.

I closed my eyes in annoyance. For the first time ever, I found Emily's hoarse voice irritating. "Adrian! Who told you to get attention by ending your life?"

I grew even more annoyed. There was something hard under my pillow, which made me quite uncomfortable.

I reached in and pulled it out. It was a slightly worn-out protective amulet.

When I was 12, I had a high fever that persisted for a week, and the hospital even declared me in critical condition three separate times.

Iris had climbed a thousand steps to obtain this amulet for me.

Later on, William got hurt, so Iris took the amulet and gave it to him instead.

And now, the amulet was in my hands again.

It was nothing but a burden to me, so I lifted my hand and tossed it away.

Iris had just entered the ward, and she could do nothing but watch as the amulet fell onto the floor.

Raising her head, she glared at me. "Adrian, you're throwing away the amulet just like that?"

####CHAPTER-NAME:

Frowning, I said in a calm tone, "It's just trash at this point. Why shouldn't I throw it away?"

Iris' chest heaved, her eyes filled with hurt and fury.

She lifted a foot and stomped on the protective amulet, grinding it under her heel. Then, she sneered and said mockingly, "Adrian, you're so spoiled that you're basically heartless now! What an ingrate! No wonder Sophie would choose Will over you. You—"

"Iris!" Emily interrupted her in a low voice.

Iris' eyes reddened as she stared at me.

She was looking for hints of sadness or regret on my face.

But she was met only with my eerily calm expression.

Iris was trembling in anger as a low, suppressed growl escaped her throat. "Adrian! This amulet belongs to William. It was lent to you, so you have no right to throw it away!"

I felt surprisingly at peace as I said indifferently, "Then I'll compensate him."

My calmness was the final straw for Iris. She pointed at me, shouting angrily, "Still faking it? Fine, if that's how you want it, go and get another amulet! Climb all 1,000 steps, and don't skip a single one!"

Emily wanted to voice her objection, but Iris stopped her with a look.

Apparently, she agreed that it was a good opportunity to whip me into shape.

My wound wasn't too serious, so they believed that I was putting on a show just for attention.

When I reached the foot of the mountain outside the city, where the church stood, it suddenly started raining.

The thousand steps were cold and slippery from the rain, but I climbed up anyway.

My wound was soaked in rainwater, and a searing pain spread throughout my body.

But I pretended not to feel it as I chanted to myself that this would be the last time, and I would've paid Iris back in full when I was done.

I had no idea how long it took, but I finally obtained a new protective amulet.

I was completely drenched, and my head grew dizzy and feverish.

When I opened the door to the Parker residence, I found myself in the midst of a lively celebration.

William was surrounded by a crowd. He was holding a Physics Award trophy in his hands, and he looked smug about it.

However, my appearance instantly ruined the happy atmosphere.

Emily was the first to frown and shout at me. "Adrian, look at yourself! And you call yourself the son of the Parker family?"

Everyone turned to look at me. I saw looks of disgust and frustration, but none of them showed any concern.

Ignoring the looks around me, I walked straight up to William and placed the amulet in his hands.

Startled by the nice gesture, William retracted his hand, but I noticed a gleeful look flashing across his gaze. "Ade, please don't do this. I never meant to blame you…"

I couldn't be bothered to watch his fake act, so I turned around and left.

Behind me, I could hear Emily and Iris scolding me.

I pretended I hadn't heard them. I walked straight into my room and locked the door.

Taking out the blade I had kept in a drawer, I didn't hesitate as I brought it down on my wrist.

As blood gushed out, I felt a sense of relief I had never felt before.

A knock sounded on the door, and Scarlett's voice rang out. "Ade, open the door. I want to talk to you."

My life was hanging by a thread, and I didn't even have the energy to open my mouth.

Iris annoyedly said, "Just leave him be. He's just being dramatic and playing the victim again. I swear, we've really spoiled him too much."

In the end, Scarlett didn't insist on it. Their footsteps grew more distant.

Finally, I closed my eyes as I had wished. My soul felt light as it drifted upward.

I was still in mid-air when the door to my room suddenly burst open.

Emily barged in with a dark expression, Scarlett and Iris in tow.

"Adrian, you're—"

Her voice came to an abrupt stop, for a sea of crimson came into view.