Chapter 3

The night before the scheduled wedding banquet, I decided to move out.

I was a married man now, and I had no intention of letting my new wife live under the same roof as them.

When I arrived with the moving crew, Evelyn and Camilla were both in the living room.

They were busy decorating the house for a party celebrating the three-year anniversary of meeting Trevor.

The irony was sickening. Just one week ago, they had completely forgotten my birthday.

Before I could even step onto the stairs, Evelyn yelled sharply.

"The entire second floor has been converted into Trevor's private suite! He hates people touching his belongings. Your junk is down in the servant's quarters!"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Since when had I lost the right to my own room in my own home?

Swallowing the bitter lump in my throat, I pointed toward the upper floor.

"This house was left behind by our parents. What right do you have to give my room to him?"

"Forget it, I don't even care. My father's paintings and my old trophies are up there. I'm taking them with me."

Evelyn's gaze shifted nervously, and she began to stammer.

Camilla, on the other hand, delivered the truth with chilling nonchalance.

"Those pieces of trash? Trevor said they were an eyesore, so we threw them all out days ago."

"Not a single thing of yours is left."

A wave of uncontrollable fury surged through my veins.

Our family portraits, the handwritten calligraphy my father gave me, and the trophy my mother and I won at my childhood sports day.

Those were the only precious memories I had left of my parents.

On countless sleepless nights, those keepsakes were all I had to feel their presence.

Yet, they tossed them into a dumpster like worthless garbage!

Just then, my phone buzzed with a text from Chloe asking when I would be home.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself not to let this mess derail my life any further.

"Fine. Since all of that is gone, give me the five-million-dollar trust fund our parents left for me!"

Evelyn flinched guiltily, while Camilla averted her eyes.

"What inheritance? Did you think taking care of you during those three years in a coma was free? It's all gone!"

"Exactly! Do you have any idea how much your private medical team cost? Trevor never even got that kind of luxury!"

At that moment, Trevor strolled down the hall with a gloating smirk.

"Wait, what inheritance? Are you talking about that five million dollars you two gifted me for my birthday last month?"

Looking at his custom-tailored designer suit and the limited-edition luxury watch on his wrist, the truth hit me like a brick.

"You gave my parents' inheritance to Trevor?!"

Camilla snapped back with reckless defiance.

"So what if we did! Trevor donated blood for you for three straight years! Without him, you would be rotting in a grave right now!"

"Why are you so ungrateful? You deserved being a vegetable for three years!"

"Giving him that tiny bit of compensation is nothing compared to what you owe him!"

Evelyn looked at me with the exact same disgust, as if I were a venomous snake.

They seemed to have completely forgotten that the only reason I ended up in a coma was because I threw myself in front of them to shield them during that fatal crash!

My voice trembled with raw bitterness.

"I already paid him a hundred-thousand-dollar bonus three years ago! What else do I owe him?!"

"Do you honestly think... I chose to be in a coma for three years?!"

A flicker of guilt crossed Evelyn and Camilla's faces.

Seeing their hesitation, Trevor suddenly burst into tears and bolted toward the front door.

"It's all my fault! I shouldn't have accepted that money just because my dad needed emergency surgery!"

"I'll go get the money back right now! Even if my dad dies on the operating table, I won't owe you a single penny, Austin!"

The fleeting guilt in Evelyn's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a furious glare.

"Why did you have to bring this up in front of Trevor?!"

Without another word, she sprinted out the door after him.

Camilla stayed behind, but as I turned to leave, she blocked my path.

"We do owe you an apology for the car accident, but what's done is done."