Part 2The Sacred Book That Turned Them All Against Me

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed. I had lost count of how many times Mom’s cruel hand had landed me here since childhood. Dad sat before me, his face etched with concern. Seeing me conscious, he asked with a sigh, "Son, it's Dad's fault for being useless, for not protecting you."

"From now on, try not to anger your mom so much, to avoid getting beaten."

I stifled a groan of pain. "Dad," I managed to ask, "why does Mom treat me, her own son, with such cruelty?"

"You used to say I was too young, that you'd tell me when I grew up. Can you tell me now?"

Dad slowly walked to the window, his back to me, looking utterly worn. "Rowan, honestly, Dad doesn't know why."

"But your mom is still your mom. She gave birth to you four siblings; she's the backbone of our family. Dad can't just call the police and have her arrested, can he?"

Just then, Mom entered the hospital room with my three sisters. Mom's eyes were filled with cold indifference, though my three sisters cast me concerned glances.

"He eats so much every day, yet he can't take a beating."

Dad quickly stepped in front of me. "Eva, we're in a hospital. Don't cause a scene!" My body clearly bore marks of abuse. When I was brought in, the hospital, as usual, had already alerted the police.

When the police arrived and examined my injuries, a seasoned officer approached Mom. "Ms. Hayes, did you inflict these injuries on the child?"

Mom's expression was serene, her reply delivered with chilling nonchalance. "Yes."

"As the child's biological mother, you've beaten him like this. You're now implicated in domestic abuse. You'll have to come with us!"

"Officer, there's no need to rush. Let me show you something."

As Mom's words hung in the air, everyone in the room was gripped by curiosity. Only I felt my hairs stand on end, my body instinctively trembling. Sure enough, Mom pulled out the book. The lead officer approached cautiously. As he gazed at the book's contents, he reacted just like Grandma had, trembling uncontrollably.

"Stand down. There's no domestic abuse case here."

My attending physician wouldn't back down, quickly blocking the officer's path. "Officer, the patient clearly has signs of abuse. You just said you were going to open a case. How could you suddenly—"

Before the doctor could say more, the officer's gaze turned incredibly stern. "Are you questioning our police procedure?" he snapped. "I'll say it again: there's no domestic abuse case. It's just a mother and son roughhousing, and the mother was a little heavy-handed!"

"This matter ends here." With that, the officer led the accompanying enforcement officers away, and they packed up.

Cold sweat streamed down my forehead. I had no idea what was in that book, but even the police had such a strong reaction to it. Mom evicted the doctor from the room, then flashed me a wicked smile.

"Rowan Miller, you'll never escape my grasp."

"This is how you'll live your entire life."

My oldest sister, Anna, who had always doted on me, couldn't take it anymore. She frowned, stepping in front of me. "Mom, while our family is all here today, please tell us why you've always targeted Rowan."

"I was already a teenager when you gave birth to him. He's your biological son. How can you treat him like an enemy?"

Mom's face once again broke into that wicked smile. Looking at my three sisters, she said, "I've already told your Grandma. It's time some things were told to you too."

"You three sisters, come here. Once you see what's in this book, you'll understand."

I dared not risk it again. I quickly grabbed Anna's hand. "Anna, don't—"

Anna turned back to me, a gentle smile on her face. "Rowan, don't be afraid."

"It's time the mystery of all these years was finally revealed."

"No matter what, you'll always be your sister's good brother."