Sean stepped back while holding the baby. Tears still hung on his face.

He lowered his head, and his voice became softer. “Dad, Mom, please do not blame Talon. It is my fault. I should not have let Miley keep the baby.”

I watched everything unfold. My whole body shook.

“It was not Dad!”

I ran forward and spread my arms, standing in front of him.

“Dad would never hurt anyone. He would never hurt anyone at all.”

My mother looked at me, then at my father. Her gaze looked complicated.

Sean spoke again. His voice sounded hesitant. “Could it be that Talon has a mental problem?” He glanced at my mother and paused. “After what happened in those three years in the ancient city…”

My mother jolted slightly.

Grandma cut in at once. “Yes. He must be sick. No normal person would do something like this.”

“He cannot stay in this house anymore,” Grandpa said in a low voice. “Send him to the hospital for an examination. If he is really ill, send him to a psychiatric hospital. We cannot let him harm others.”

My father crawled forward on his knees and grabbed my mother’s pant leg.

“Miley, I am not sick. I am really not sick. Let me stay with Jayden. I will do whatever you say.”

My mother looked down at him.

“Take the baby to get his wounds treated. I will take him for a diagnosis.” Her voice sounded calm.

The light in my father’s eyes went out at once. Then he collapsed to the ground.

“Dad! Dad!”

I screamed as I shook his shoulder. He did not respond.

Grandma kicked him.

“Stop pretending. Get up.”

“Do not touch him!”

My voice came out loud. Grandma flinched and stepped back.

“You little brat.” Her face turned red. “Is this how your father taught you to speak to your elders?”

“You never treated him like your son,” I cried. “You only liked Uncle Sean. You never liked my dad.”

“You…”

My mother walked back over. She crouched down and checked my father’s breathing. Her expression changed.

“Call a doctor.” She stood up. Her voice came out fast and tense. “Now.”

My father was rushed into emergency care when he arrived at the hospital. After a long while, he was moved into a ward.

The doctor looked at him. His expression was unreadable.

“He is severely malnourished and showing signs of organ failure.”

My mother froze.

“Organ failure?”

“You did not know?” The doctor’s tone sounded sharp. “With his condition, how are you his wife?”

My mother stood there with a complicated look on her face.

My father lay in bed with an IV in his hand. His face looked pale. He wiped my tears.

“Do not be afraid. I am fine.”

He looked at my mother, then spoke gently to me. “Jayden, go outside first. I need to talk to your mom.”

I did not want to leave. Yet I still did.

The door did not close fully. I left it slightly open.

I saw my father looking at my mother. His eyes looked steady.

“Miley, I would like to send Jayden abroad.”

…

“What? Are you crazy? He is only eight.” My mother’s voice rose with anger. “Are you throwing another tantrum?”

“I am not.”

“I can accept sharing you with Sean. I will stay in my place for the rest of my life with no other intentions.” His voice sounded flat. “Jayden cannot grow up in this kind of environment.”

He got out of bed as he spoke. His bare feet touched the cold tile as he dropped to his knees.

“I am begging you. Let him go.”

His forehead pressed against the ground.

My heart shattered.

“Dad.”

I whispered.

My mother stared at him. Her gaze looked heavy, and her lips pressed into a tight line.

“I can send him abroad.” Her voice came slowly, like from far away. “You are not leaving.”

I could not hold back anymore. I pushed the door open and ran inside.

“I do not want to go abroad.”

My father lifted his head and looked at me as tears fell down his cheek.

He reached out and pulled me into his arms.

His body felt thin. His bones pressed against me, but he was still warm.

“Be good, Jayden.”

His hand gently patted my back, the same way he always did.

…

A few days later, my father was discharged from the hospital.

Sean and the others stayed wary of him, as if he truly had a mental illness.

Most of the time, my father stayed in the room with me. He held me and read picture books.

However, I still felt uneasy.

My father kept his head down at the dinner table, eating slowly, one bite at a time.

My mother put down her chopsticks and cleared her throat.

“The company’s tenth anniversary is coming up. Sean will attend with me. There will be many reporters. We need to consider the company’s image.”

A flash of pride crossed Sean’s face before he hid it.

He lowered his head. His voice sounded soft on purpose.

“Miley, would it be inappropriate if Talon does not go?”

“You can arrange it however you want,” my father replied.

My mother looked at him. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but she stayed silent.

On the day of the anniversary, my father and I stayed at home.

Sunlight poured through the windows and spread gold across the carpet.

My father sat on the sofa, carving a small wooden dog.

I lay beside his legs and watched him work.

“Dad, can I not go abroad?” I asked in a soft voice.

His hand paused. The carving knife hung still in the air.

“I did not want to leave you either.” His voice sounded very soft, as if he feared disturbing something. “I do not have time to watch you grow up anymore.”

“Why do you not have time?”

“It is because I am going home.”

His tone was calm, so calm that it did not sound like goodbye.

I sat up and looked at him.

“Can you take me with you?”

“I would love to take you, but the system will not allow it.”

He gave a faint, bitter smile and patted my hair.

“Do not worry. I already spoke to Uncle Dylan. He will take care of you. He will arrange your school and your money. When you grow up, you can come back to the country if you want, or stay abroad if you do not.

“You need to study hard, eat well, and sleep well. Do not trust people too easily. Do not ever wrong yourself for anyone.

“If someone bullies you…”

He stopped. His eyes turned red, but he refused to let the tears fall.

Bang.

The door was kicked open.

Several unfamiliar men stood at the entrance.

The leader wore a black jacket. A scar ran from his brow to his cheekbone.

Three burly men stood behind him like a wall.

“Who are you?” My father’s voice turned sharp. “What do you want?”

The scarred man grinned, showing yellowed teeth stained with smoke.

“Someone told us to take you somewhere fun, sir.”

His gaze slid from my father to me. It made my skin crawl.

I grabbed my father’s hand. He pulled me slightly behind him.

“I will go with you.” My father’s voice turned calm. “Do not hurt my son.”

The man tilted his head.

“Mr. Talon, straightforward.”

He waved his hand. Two men stepped forward.

One grabbed my arm and yanked me away from my father. The other pulled out tape and rope. He tied my wrists with practiced speed and sealed my mouth with tape.

“Mmm!”

I struggled, but I was nothing in their hands.

“Jayden!”

My father lunged forward, but the scarred man blocked him.

“Relax, Mr. Talon,” he said with a smile. “As long as you cooperate, we will not touch him.”

“What exactly do you want?”