Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ever since Landon moved in, the atmosphere between my family and me turned into a permanent freeze. I could not care less.

Every day after school, I buried myself in the public library, studying high school and college material. With my current knowledge, I could easily test out of middle school, but I had a far better plan.

In my past life, Landon swept every competition upon transferring, becoming the golden child of teachers and parents alike while I faded into his shadow.

This time, I was going to steal every single trophy and title from his greedy hands and grind his pride into dust.

A few months later, my birthday arrived.

My parents decided to host a birthday dinner to ease the tension at home. More importantly, they wanted to force me into accepting Landon as my brother.

When I walked into the dining room after school, the table was loaded with gourmet dishes. But a closer look revealed garlic butter shrimp, steamed crab legs, and lobster bisque.

The entire family knew I had a severe seafood allergy.

Landon was helping Mom set the table, flashing me a smirk the second our eyes met.

Mom turned to me, her warm expression instantly cooling down. "You're home, Sean. As soon as your dad brings the cake, we can celebrate your birthday."

I glanced at the feast and let out a dry laugh. "You actually remembered it was my birthday? Then why is the table covered in seafood that could put me into anaphylactic shock? Oh, right. Landon loves seafood."

Dad and Renee walked in right at that moment. Hearing my words, Renee snapped instantly, "Are you bullying Landon again, Sean? We're a family now. What's wrong with making dishes Landon likes on a special occasion?"

Landon squeezed out instant tears. "I'm sorry! It's all because I was jealous of Sean. Mom only made my favorite dishes because she felt bad for me. Blame me, Sean, don't be mad at Mom!"

Dad slammed the birthday cake onto the counter. "Can't we have one peaceful evening without you making a scene?!"

I pointed down at Landon's feet, where he was wearing a pair of limited-edition designer sneakers that were clearly two sizes too big for him.

"You claim this dinner is for my birthday?" I sneered. "Then why are all the dishes Landon's favorites, and why is my birthday present already on Landon's feet?"

Just like in my previous life, Landon had manipulated Mom into letting him wear my birthday gift. Back then, when I tried to take them back, my parents yelled at me for being stingy.

Whenever Landon wanted something of mine, I was expected to hand it over on a silver platter. If Landon asked for my life, this family would probably demand that I donate my heart to him.

Landon burst into loud wails, yanking the sneakers off his feet. "I just loved them so much! I'm sorry... I've never seen shoes this pretty before. When I was kidnapped, the bad guys only gave me broken straw sandals..."

He pulled up his pant legs to show fresh red scratches on his ankles. Anyone with half a brain could see the cuts were only hours old, but my bleeding-heart family lost their minds.

They wrapped their arms around Landon, crying as if their hearts were shattered.

Landon wriggled out of their grasp and ran toward me, dropping to his knees. "Please forgive me, Sean! I'm giving them back!"

With his back turned to my family, Landon stomped his heel directly onto my bare foot, digging his weight into my bones with a vicious smile.

Pain shot straight up my leg. I shoved his shoulder to push him off.

The second my fingertips brushed his shirt, Landon shrieked like he was struck by lightning. "I'm sorry! Sean, please don't hit me!"

My parents and Renee did not see what happened beneath the table; they only heard Landon's scream and assumed I was attacking him.

"Sean Crawford, you are incorrigible!" Dad bellowed, charging forward and shoving me with all his strength.

I flew backward, slamming hard against the stovetop. A pot of boiling hot fish broth tipped over, drenching my arm and back.

Blisters exploded across my skin instantly, and the searing agony made my mind go completely blank.

Before I could even scream, Renee let out a piercing screech. "Landon! Oh my god, Landon, what's wrong?!"

Landon had collapsed in Mom's arms, completely limp and unresponsive to their frantic calls.

Dad made an immediate call: "Get him to the ER right now!"

Dad ran to the garage to start the SUV. Mom rushed out the front door, cradling Landon against her chest with tears streaming down her face.

Renee lagged behind just long enough to glare at me with venomous hatred. "Are you happy now, Sean?"

She slammed the front door and jumped into the car, leaving rubber on the asphalt.

Nobody cared that today was supposed to be my birthday. Nobody cared that I hadn't laid a finger on Landon.

And nobody cared that I was the one who desperately needed an emergency room.

They sped off into the night, not once looking back at their severely burned biological child.

I collapsed against the kitchen tiles, gasping for air through the blinding pain. After what felt like an eternity, I dragged myself to the sink, ran cold water over my burns, and stumbled out into the cold night toward the local community clinic.

The doctor on duty nearly dropped his clipboard when he saw my charred, blistering skin.

"Kid, where are your parents? How did you get here alone?"

I stared at the floor, fighting back the lump in my throat. "My parents don't care about me. They only care about their adopted son."