Chapter 12%
“You fool!” my mother screamed, her voice raw with fury. “When has Owen ever attacked anyone? His legs are injured–he can’t even stand properly! How could he push Ethan? Did you see it yourself?”
Her chest heaved as she glared at my father, her voice shaking with betrayal. “Did Ethan tell you this? Peter, can’t you tell who your real son is?“%
My mother let out a broken laugh, grief twisting her features. “Owen didn’t argue with you when you stole his proposal because you’re his father. How could you call him an adopted son?”
Her fists clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms. “Now Owen is missing–are you happy? Let’s see how you fix this!” Her voice cracked as she delivered her final, devastating blow. “If Owen isn’t found, I’m divorcing you!“/
As soon as my mother finished speaking, guilt and regret filled my father’s eyes. His whole body seemed to age ten years in an instant. The weight of the truth, the consequences of his choices, bore down on him with relentless force.”
He had always been a man of pride, a man who meticulously built the Griffith Family’s empire with his own two hands, but in this moment, all that strength seemed to crumble. He sat there, motionless, as if the mere act of breathing had become a burden.”
“I will find our son,” he finally said, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. “Don’t worry. If he’s still in Arlington, we’ll find him.“/ His words were meant to be reassuring, but they carried no certainty. My mother wiped her tears and took out her phone, her fingers trembling as she unlocked it. The wallpaper–my photo–stared back at her. She gently stroked the screen, her touch lingering as if by doing so, she could somehow reach me, comfort me and tell me they were sorry.”
Her eyes turned cold as she looked at my father again. “Owen lived in an orphanage for fifteen years. We spent too long searching for him–do you still remember what you said back then? You said Owen was our only son, the heir of the Griffith Family. No matter what kind of person he had become when we found him, you would spend the rest of your life making it up to him.”
Her voice cracked slightly, but she didn’t stop. “But what have you done? When we finally brought Owen back, all you felt was shame! You refused to admit that you had a son who grew up in an orphanage.”/
“You treated Owen as if he were your disgrace, refusing to acknowledge him in front of other people. Every time I went to bring him milk, I would see him hunched over the table, exhausted from studying until he fell asleep.“/
Her words lashed at him, each one cutting deeper than the last. “Owen is still a kid! He already pushed himself to the limit trying to catch up on his studies. He even wrote proposals that were better than Ethan’s! Why won’t you acknowledge him?”
She took a shuddering breath, her fists clenched at her sides. “You say Owen will get crushed if he joins the company. But you’ve been the chairman for so many years–if you could pave the way for Ethan, why couldn’t you do the same for your own son? Peter, what happened to you?“%
