“How…” Jamie’s mother pointed at Dixon, clearly upset. “How could you be so heartless? We’ve raised him for over twenty years. Even if he’s not our biological child, we still have feelings for him. How can you just throw him away like that?”
“If he were still useful, do you think I’d give up on him? He’s a cripple now. What’s the point of keeping him? You wanna spend the rest of your life taking care of him? Don’t you forget, back in the hospital, what we had was a daughter. You’re the one who asked me to swap her for a son!” Dixon revealed the truth of what happened all those years ago.
Jamie Adams wasn’t their biological son. Back then, their family’s standing was on the line because out of the three brothers, none had a son. Dixon already had two daughters, and having another girl would have been a disaster.
To secure his position in the family, he pulled off a bold switch at the hospital. He bribed the head nurse to swap his daughter for Jamie Adams, a baby boy. After that, his status at home rose, and the family even gave him money to start a factory in another city.
“It’s been so many years, why bring this up now?” Jamie’s mother said, clearly uncomfortable.
Dixon chuckled, “Just trying to make you face reality. He’s got nothing to do with us. Now that he’s a useless cripple, do we really want to ruin our lives because of him?”
Hearing this, Dixon’s wife broke into tears, stammering, “But we’ve raised him for so many years. Are we really gonna just watch him wither away? People have feelings. He may not be our biological son, but I’ve treated him like my own. If you let him die, how disappointed would he be in us?”
Dixon put a hand on her shoulder, saying, “I know, I’m torn up about it too, but we’ve gotta be realistic here. He’s just a burden now. We can’t survive in the Adams family if we keep him around. Don’t worry, we can try for another son. Your health’s still good. I’ll make it happen.”
“Really?” Dixon’s wife asked, believing him. With tears in their eyes, they left the hospital together.
Suddenly, the huge hospital room was silent, leaving Jamie Adams alone. He stared at the empty space, his mind swirling with mixed emotions.
He waited for hours, but not even a nurse came by. After what felt like forever, someone finally pushed the door open. Jamie Adams’ heart leapt, and he eagerly asked, “Mom? Is that you?”
No answer. All he heard was strange, slow footsteps.
“Mom? Is it you?”
No response. Jamie asked again, “Dad, is that you?”
Still no answer, but a figure stepped in. It was a shadow, a black figure. Judging by the silhouette, it was a man. He was dressed in all black, with old-fashioned clothes that looked like something out of a period drama, like an ancient assassin or a swordsman.
Seeing this person, Jamie was instantly terrified. He stammered, “Wh-who are you?”
The figure stood with his back to Jamie, not saying a word. He just quietly faced Jamie with his back turned.
The silence was driving Jamie insane. Trembling, he asked, “Who are you? Why are you here? I know the hospital director, you know. Don’t mess with me-”
Before he could finish, an icy voice cut through the air. “Do you want revenge?”
Just one sentence. The voice was raspy, like an old tape recorder barely playing the words, almost too scratchy to understand.
“Wh-who are you?” Jamie asked again, wide-eyed.
“Do you want revenge?” The voice repeated the exact same words, with the same tone, like it was on replay.
Jamie gulped hard. Revenge? Of course, he wanted revenge. Every time he closed his eyes, the first thing he thought about was getting back at Georgia Adams and Kayden Scott. If it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t be stuck in bed for the rest of his life. But now he was a cripple. How could he possibly take revenge?
“Who are you?” Jamie didn’t answer the question. Instead, he asked cautiously, still unsure of who this person was. After all, this shadow could be here to kill him. If he said he wanted revenge, maybe the figure would strike him down right there. Jamie wasn’t going to fall into a trap so easily.
So, he decided to play it safe.
The shadow said nothing, only tilted its head slightly upwards, gazing at the ceiling. This move left Jamie stunned. Was this a signal? Was this shadow about to kill him? He’d seen assassins on TV do this kind of thing before.
Jamie didn’t dare speak. He barely even breathed, just staring blankly at this tall, mysterious figure.
Silence is terrifying, especially in the face of the unknown. The quiet was driving Jamie’s fear to its limit.
“I-I-I’ve called the police!” Jamie suddenly blurted out, trembling.
The shadow burst into eerie laughter. Sometimes it sounded old and hoarse, other times youthful and powerful. It was as unsettling as a night owl screeching in the dark.
“Do you want revenge?” the shadow asked again, the voice lower and rougher this time. The third time. This was the third time the figure had asked Jamie if he wanted revenge.
Jamie gulped down his fear, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
“I… I do…” he stammered. As soon as he got the words out, the shadow whipped around. The sudden movement startled Jamie so much that he shuddered, his eyes widening in terror.
He thought he was about to see a horrifying face, but there was no face to see. The figure’s face was covered by a black cloth. Was this some kind of assassin? Or was this person really here to help him?
“If you want revenge, come with me,” the shadow said, walking toward Jamie.
Jamie broke into a cold sweat, quickly saying, “No, no! I’m waiting for my parents.”
“I have nothing to offer you for getting my revenge. I’ve lost everything,” Jamie added. He knew no one would help him for free. That’s just how life works.
But the shadow said, “I never said I’d help you. You’ll get your own revenge. Come with me! Your parents won’t be coming back.”