Burning the Patents of Betrayal

Chuck's arrogance made me sick to my stomach.

I swallowed my rage and hardened my expression.

"No matter what you say, you're still nothing but a pathetic homewrecker. Even if Julie and I get divorced, it won't be your turn."

Chuck's face went dark instantly.

Without warning, he shoved a pair of scissors into my hand and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Adam, I swear I won't touch Julie again! I'll leave right now. Please don't kill me!"

At almost the exact same moment, Julie charged forward and kicked me away.

"Stop! Don't you dare lay a finger on Chuck!"

My sister heard the commotion and ran out, snapping at me.

"Adam, even if you're jealous of Chuck, you don't need to try to kill him!"

Even my own sister—my own flesh and blood—was convinced I had hurt him. My heart turned even colder.

"He set this up himself! I didn't touch him at all!"

But the look in Julie's eyes only grew more disgusted.

"How can you be so cruel? And you're still trying to blame Chuck!"

My sister glared at me like I was her enemy.

I was about to speak again when Chuck suddenly cried out in pain.

Panicked, Julie and my sister rushed him into an ambulance, dragging me along with them.

Just then, my father-in-law and mother-in-law arrived.

The second they saw me, they flew into a rage and slapped me twice across the face.

My usually gentle mother-in-law was now grinding her teeth, pointing at my nose as she cursed.

"Chuck gave us our first grandson! If you cause any more trouble, I'll have you thrown out of the family to beg on the streets!"

Julie's parents had watched me grow up. They were like a second set of parents to me.

Who would have thought that twenty years of history couldn't compete with an outsider?

"I didn't touch Chuck—he's not even injured—"

"Adam, you're still lying! The doctor said Chuck is seriously hurt—he needs a kidney transplant!"

My sister burst in, cutting me off.

At that, my mother-in-law viciously lashed out, kicking toward my groin.

"I always knew you had bad intentions! Since you're useless yourself, you can't stand seeing Chuck do well! You've been with Julie for years—if you could have gotten her pregnant, we wouldn't need Chuck at all! It's your fault for being worthless!"

My sister's face was full of anger and disappointment.

"This is attempted assault. I've already called the cops—you can rot in prison! A criminal brother like you isn't worth having!"

What a "wonderful" sister I have.

A deep chill settled in my chest. In the end, rage twisted into bitter laughter, and tears slipped from the corners of my eyes.

Just then, Julie dragged me into the hospital room, her face dark with fury, and forced me to kneel in front of Chuck.

Lying pale on the bed, Chuck weakly opened his mouth.

"Adam just lost control for a moment. I don't blame him… please don't send him to prison."

Julie's eyes reddened. She grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the floor.

"Even after being hurt this badly, Chuck is still thinking of you—how can you be so cruel, trying to frame him like this?"

I was forced to kowtow to Chuck again and again, my forehead striking the ground until it split open, blood streaming down as my consciousness blurred.

Only then did Julie stop. Her voice turned ice cold.

"You wronged Chuck first. So you'll compensate him—with one of your kidneys."

As they dragged me away, I struggled to lift my head.

Chuck stood behind her, looking at me with a smug, contemptuous smile.

Eight doctors strapped me tightly to the operating table.

Without anesthesia, they cut me open and forcibly removed my kidney.

The tearing pain of flesh being carved apart was unbearable—I screamed until my voice gave out.

When I woke up again, Julie stood by the bed, looking down at me from above.

"Adam, even though I love you, I can't keep letting you hurt Chuck over and over. We'll let this go. After my baby with Chuck is born, you'll devote yourself to taking care of both of them. If you dare get any more twisted ideas, I'll make your life worse than death."

I couldn't move. I just stared numbly at the ceiling.

That night, as I left the hospital, Julie suddenly video-called me.

But the face that appeared on the screen was Chuck's—his skin slick with sweat.

Along with his heavy breathing came the faint, suggestive sound of water in the background.

I instantly understood what he and Julie were doing. My jaw clenched tight.

He deliberately kissed Julie until she let out soft, breathy moans.

"Julie, who's better—me or Adam?"

Half-dazed, she answered over and over, "How could Adam compare to you?"

Gone was the awkward, insecure boy he once was—his eyes held nothing but triumph.

"In that case, why not send Adam somewhere for some 'training,' so he doesn't come back and try to kill me again?"

Julie didn't hesitate for a second.

"Whatever you say."

I ended the call, a cold smile curling on my lips.

On my phone, a message had arrived from my lawyer a minute earlier—the expedited divorce papers.

Since Chuck dared to provoke me, I would make him understand: Everything he stole from me meant nothing without me.

By the time Julie finally pulled herself away from their passionate entanglement, it was already three in the morning.

When she noticed I hadn't come home after being discharged, she frowned and called me.

But the only response was a message: the number was no longer in service.

An inexplicable unease crept into her chest.

At that moment, her assistant's call came through urgently, "Ms. Black, Mr. Ford set fire to all the patent files at the company. He left behind nothing but a voice recorder."