Cade's POV

After being brought back home by my wealthy parents, they swore they'd make up for everything.

And since the "fake son" was mercilessly sent overseas, I was named the sole heir. But the day before I was supposed to sign the transfer of shares, I got into a terrible car accident.

My legs were shattered, and I lost my sight completely.

My mother was devastated, crying so hard that it felt like her heart might break. She even said she'd give me her own eyes if she could. Meanwhile, my father, usually kind and gentle, became cold and demanding, pushing for the driver responsible to be severely punished. He even tightened his grip over the company's shareholders to ensure my position as heir wouldn’t be shaken.

Overwhelmed with guilt, I went looking for him one day, only to overhear a conversation that froze me in place.

The voice belonged to Jed Tillery— the "fake son" who was supposedly exiled overseas. "Wasn't making him the heir just a front? I'm back now after studying abroad. When exactly is he getting shipped back to the countryside?"

My mother softly reassured, "Your father is just putting on a show so that he'll step down on his own. That country bumpkin grew up in a village; there's no way he can compare to you. We carefully raised you for over twenty years."

After a short pause, she added with chilling calmness, "Besides, I personally arranged for that accident. Had his legs crushed and made sure the doctors took his corneas to give to you. How could a crippled blind man ever take over the company?"

With an equally cold voice, my father said, "Just be patient. Your mother and I will clear the path for you."

I stood there, frozen. The accident that had left me in agony was no accident at all. My own parents had orchestrated it — all for the sake of this imposter. They were willing to destroy me for him.

Fine. If that’s how they wanted to play it, I wouldn’t forgive them.

——

"I knew Mom still cared about me," Jed said, his voice full of smugness. "Here, I got you this sapphire ring from an auction overseas. Try it on."

My mother’s eyes lit up as she slipped the ring onto her finger, but then she sighed as if remembering something unpleasant.

"It really is different having you close to me. That other boy's been back for over a year, and the only thing he ever gave me was some painting he did himself. Absolutely worthless." She scoffed, "If it weren’t for the fact that he has my blood running through his veins, he wouldn’t still be in this house."

Indifferent, my father interrupted, "It doesn’t matter. Soon enough, once he’s out of the hospital, I’ll arrange a press conference. He'll have no choice but to announce he's leaving the company, and then we'll send him abroad. Give him a couple of caretakers and a few million as a payoff. That should be enough to cut ties with him for good."

Fury burned through me, my fists clenching so tightly that my nails dug into my palms.

Jed smirked and asked, "But what if he refuses? Our family's fortune is worth billions. What if he clings to the company like a leech and won’t let go?"

My father simply snorted. "Even if he tries, the shareholders would never accept him. And if he pushes back, we can have him declared mentally unstable and send him overseas for treatment."

His voice then dropped, turning colder as he continued, "If he behaves, I don’t mind supporting him. But if he doesn’t... well, a blind, crippled man overwhelmed with despair? It wouldn’t be surprising if he took his own life."

I felt the blood drain from my body.

This man — my father — was talking about my death as if it were nothing.

Honestly, I had never felt warmth from this family. When they brought me back a year ago, they cried and apologized for losing me, swearing they’d spent every moment of the past twenty years missing me. They claimed they’d cast Jed aside for my sake, sending him overseas despite raising him for over two decades.

Back then, I said I was willing to get along with Jed, but my parents refused. They insisted they didn’t want me to carry any emotional baggage.

Yet, I’d seen my mother quietly wiping her tears at night. I knew she could never truly let go of Jed.

Cade's POV

As such, I swore to myself that I’d do everything I could to make my parents proud, to become their one true pride and repay them for all they’d done for me.

But now, they’ve shattered every last illusion I had about family.

"It might seem harsh," my mother said, her tone perfectly matter-of-fact. "But it had to be done. We can’t hand the company over to someone like him."

Shortly, I heard footsteps approaching. Struggling, I quickly pushed my wheelchair back to my room.

Mom then found me staring out the window as usual and said, "You should be resting. Your legs are injured. Why are you wheeling yourself around again?"

As she entered, her gaze drifted outside, following mine to the soccer field below, where a group of kids laughed and kicked a ball across the grass.

"Will I ever walk again?" I asked quietly, eyes vacant.

For a moment, she was stunned, caught off guard, before forcing a smile. "Of course. You just need to focus on your recovery. Don't overthink it. You'll be fine."

I sneered inwardly.

My uncle is a renowned orthopedic surgeon abroad. Handling a fracture in legs was as easy as a pie for him as he could even save severed body parts. So, if they’d wanted to, they could have flown him in to help. But they didn’t. Not once since the accident.

And I knew the truth. I heard it with my own ears.

Mom was the one who ordered the doctors to take my corneas and give them to Jed.

It wasn’t the accident that made me blind.

Memories crashed over me. My heart ached with the weight of betrayal. After a long silence, I forced out another question.

"The painting I gave you... Do you still have it?"

Her eyes darted away before she answered, "The maid had it framed, but it got moldy during the rainy season. I had to throw it out." She waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, it wasn’t even original, right? Just a copy of that foreign artist, Code Teel. You can paint me another once your eyes heal."

My throat tightened. Heal? My corneas were gone. How could I ever see again?

I remembered that day clearly. When I gifted her that painting, Jed had sneered. "It’s not bad, but it can't hold a candle to Code Teel's work. Giving Mom a knockoff... are you trying to insult her for raising a fake son all these years?"

Back then, Mom's face had darkened with disappointment. "You're my real son. There's no need to play petty games or target Jed."

I stood there, frozen. I wanted to tell her that I was Code Teel. But seeing her cold gaze, my courage suddenly drained.

Back then, my hands had already begun to weaken. The muscles wasted away, making it harder and harder to hold a brush. So, if I revealed my secret identity, I'd only be a fool.

That painting was my final masterpiece, a piece of my soul poured onto the canvas. It was priceless.

Yet she tossed it away.

But she did not discard the painting alone that day, but also my hope for our family to be connected.

"Don’t dwell on these things," Mom said, patting my shoulder. "Your father and I will always stand by you."

The cold metal of her new sapphire ring dug into my skin, and I couldn't help but manage a bitter smile.

She threw away the painting that took me six months to finish without a second thought.

But a ring Jed bought with the family's wealth? She treasured it like a priceless heirloom.

It took me a long time to understand.

They never loved me.

Maybe they never saw me as their child. To them, Jed would always be their one and only son.

Cade's POV

To them, I was nothing but an obstacle.

If that was the case, there was no reason for me to stay in this house any longer.

Mom had little patience for me. After a few half-hearted words telling me to cheer up, she made an excuse and left. Outside, I could faintly hear Jed suggesting they go shopping for luxury brands. As expected, Mom gleefully agreed and the two of them excitedly left hand-in-hand.

I let out a bitter laugh. I might be blind, but I wasn’t deaf.

I knew Jed was doing this on purpose, trying to provoke me into storming out and making a scene. He wanted me labeled as unstable so they could have me locked away in a psychiatric ward.

But I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Surrounded by darkness, I whispered, “Hey, Siri, call Mr. Ward.”

As soon as the line connected, I spoke calmly. “Stop all financing. And get me a private flight out of the country. Immediately.”

Suddenly, I heard a cheerful female voice. "Auntie and Jed aren't here?" It was my girlfriend.

She must've come to visit me.

She didn’t know the truth about my parents or Jed. Right now, she was probably downstairs chatting with my dad. Just as I was about to call her up, I heard my father whispered, "They went shopping. I'll have the driver take you to them right away."

Then he added, "When are you breaking up with Cade? Jed is the perfect match for you. You two belong together."

My hands quickly clenched into fists. I never imagined my own father could be so biased.

Polly Clayton, my girlfriend, and I had been together for eight years. We met back when I was still in school. She never knew my true identity, only that I was an orphan, and she never cared. A year ago, when I reunited with my birth family, I came clean and introduced her to my parents.

That was when Jed claimed to have fallen for her at first sight. He pursued her relentlessly, but Polly never wavered. My parents pretended to scold him, but now I realized they never truly cared about me.

After I lost my sight, they even tried to push Polly towards him.

Determined to confront them, I pushed my wheelchair forward, but then I heard Polly let out a heavy sigh.

"Maybe I should go check on Cade first," she said softly.

A warmth spread through my chest. She still cared about me.

But what she said next shattered me.

"Over the past eight years, I kept an eye on Cade for you. I even cut the brakes on his car myself. Honestly, I still feel a little guilty about it. Maybe we should wait until he recovers before we tell him we’re married."

My mouth fell open. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Eight years? I only reunited with my parents a year ago. How could she have been watching me all that time?

Also, she and Jed were married? How? They just met each other when I was taken back home.

With the revelation swirling around my head, I felt my heart sank into a bottomless pit.

Then my father spoke again, his tone matter-of-fact. "When the national genetic database went live eight years ago, we found out Cade was our real son. But he missed out on years of elite education. He’s just a worthless thug."

He continued, "If only I weren't afraid he'd learn the truth and cause trouble, I'd have never arranged for you to stay by his side. After all, you and Jed were childhood sweethearts."

At the mention of the word, a memory flashed in my mind. Once, I found a photo on Jed's phone. It was of him and a girl I didn't recognize, though she bore a striking resemblance to Polly. Back then, I didn't think much of it.