Chapter 3

Staring after the doctor's retreating figure, Mother cursed at the top of her lungs.

"Storming off because I caught you in your lie!"

"Tell him he'd better never step foot in my house again!"

"I don't have a monster for a son!"

Yet the second she turned back to Toby, her gaze melted into boundless tenderness.

"Let's go home, sweetheart. The staff at this hospital have no morals. I'm worried they're conspiring with your brother to hurt you."

In reality, Toby had barely inhaled a few drops of saltwater.

Yet on the ride home, to keep up the charade of being the battered victim, he leaned heavily against Mother's shoulder, panting as if every breath were his last.

I had long seen through his petty manipulations, but his shamelessness still stunned me.

The moment they crossed the threshold, Toby collapsed dramatically onto the couch.

"Mom, why hasn't Nolan come home yet? Is he still mad at me?"

I scoffed. I knew Toby would never genuinely speak up for me.

Playing the fragile, understanding little angel was second nature to him.

Hearing his words, Mother ground her teeth in fury.

"That insolent brat actually thinks he can hold out on apologizing!"

She snatched her phone from her purse and dialed my number with disgust.

How could the call ever connect, Mom?

Did you forget that you already blocked me?

When the call failed to go through, she hurled her phone across the coffee table.

"That little bastard! Throwing a tantrum and refusing to pick up my calls now!"

Toby looked up at her with big, guilt-ridden eyes.

"It's all my fault. If only I were stronger, getting shoved into the water wouldn't have made me choke, and Nolan wouldn't have gotten so jealous and angry."

His manipulation stoked her fury even higher, but before she could launch into another tirade, an unknown number flashed across her screen.

She answered it impatiently, only for the doctor's angry roar to blast through the speaker.

"Mrs. Lawson! Nolan has been lying in the morgue for days! You're his mother! How can you have the heart to leave him down there all alone?"

Recognizing the voice, Mother sneered.

"I haven't even confronted him yet, and he already has you calling me again. When is this pathetic play of his going to end?"

The doctor let out a humorless laugh.

"Fine. You think this is an act? Check your messages!"

He slammed the phone down.

Moments later, a photo of my official death certificate popped up on her screen.

Before Mother could even read the text, Toby reached over and swiped the phone from her hand.

"Mom, this death certificate is obviously photoshopped. You know Nolan has always been great with digital editing."

Hearing this, Mother closed the image in disgust and muttered under her breath.

"How sickening. Fabricating something like this just to deceive me. I have no idea how I raised such a chronic liar."

Toby quickly put on a pitiful pout.

"Don't be mad, Mom. You still have me. I promise I'll always take care of you and never make you upset."

A look of pure adoration washed over Mother's face.

She pulled her golden child into a warm embrace.

She even hurried into the kitchen to prepare a lavish steak dinner and homemade clam chowder for him.

It was a level of pampering I had never received, not even when I was bedridden with severe illness.

While she was bustling around the kitchen, her phone rang again.

This time, the caller ID showed my father's name.

My parents had been divorced for years and rarely spoke.

Frowning, Mother answered with an irritable tone.

"What do you want? I'm busy making dinner for Toby, so make it quick!"

Before she could finish, Dad's explosive shout erupted from the receiver.

"What the hell are you doing cooking dinner when Nolan is dead? Do you even know what happened to our son?!"

Mother scoffed coldly.

"Oh, please. Don't tell me that liar reached out to you too? He's throwing a fit over Toby and staging this whole drama. There's nothing wrong with him!"

Dad was trembling with rage.

"Nolan is not the kind of child who throws fits! What kind of nonsense are you spewing?"

Mother snapped back, "That little brat is a master manipulator. He's managed to fool even you!"

Dad's voice cracked with fury.

"Is that any way to talk about your own flesh and blood? I never should have let you have custody! Get your ass to the hospital in thirty minutes. If something has happened to Nolan, you and I are done!"

Dad's thunderous roar echoed through the living room.

Both Toby and I heard every single word.

Toby fidgeted nervously.

"Mom... maybe you should go check on him. What if Nolan put on such a convincing act that Dad really believes him?"

Mother clenched her jaw.

"Fine. I'd love to see how he tries to pull this off. Let's go expose his pathetic lies together!"

The two of them headed out the door.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Mom, I really wish you could expose me.

I wish you could drag me back to life from the cold metal drawers of the morgue.

When they arrived at the hospital entrance, Dad was already waiting, his face dark as a storm cloud.

Toby immediately pulled his usual routine.