Like a Child With a New Lease on Life

Then, I heard Dad raise his voice. "He's just so different from Jake! I'd rather just have Jake as my child! Look at Logan. What does he do except cause trouble? Jake has always been thoughtful to us, yet Logan just hates him, causing nothing but chaos!"

Mom sighed deeply. "I've thought about whether I should send him away... How about this? When we go to the premiere tomorrow, we'll ask Mr. Black if he can continue training Logan. We'll pay whatever it takes."

Her words crushed the last shred of hope I had.

I collapsed onto the floor, staring blankly at the door.

I had been fooling myself.

Mom and Dad had long since given up on me, just like how the memories of our family of three were carelessly thrown away in the utility room.

The next morning, they let me out and put me in clean clothes.

I stared blankly, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Jake worriedly spoke up. "What if Logan hurts someone on the way?"

Upon hearing that, Dad immediately grabbed a rope and tied my hands together.

I didn't resist or say a word.

When we got into the car, Mom looked uneasy but didn't dare come too close. "Logan, today is important. Can you behave?"

I kept my eyes fixed on the rope around my wrists, not answering.

Dad grumbled, "No manners at all."

The car drove to the city's TV station, where Arthur had come to meet us.

He greeted us with a wide smile. "I'm counting on you to help promote the show at the premiere today!"

Dad replied, "Of course! But we'll still need your help. Logan's still got some bad habits. He needs a bit more training."

Arthur grinned. "No problem. I can train him as long as you want!"

Not long after, Arthur's assistant came running over. "It's about to start, Mr. Black. Please, bring the guests inside."

Because there were cameras, Mom and Dad finally untied the rope from my hands.

Inside, under the bright flash of lights, I recognized several familiar faces.

The instructor who had treated me like livestock was sitting in the VIP guest section.

Mom and Dad, having heard these were the ones who had cared for me during the show, pulled me over to thank them.

Dad nudged me. "Go thank the instructors."

My stomach churned. Seeing me stand still, Dad shoved my head down. "Say thank you!"

I opened my mouth, but in the end, I couldn't hold it in and vomited. The clean clothes I changed into were immediately covered in vomit.

Dad's expression darkened, and he opened his mouth to yell at me. But with so many cameras around, he held himself back.

Arthur quickly had someone take me to the bathroom to change clothes.

This was just a minor episode. The premiere continued as planned.

While I was backstage, I could hear Arthur talking animatedly. "Our crew has worked hard to document the transformation of every troubled teenager. Our instructors have been dedicated, ensuring every troubled youth receives the training they need."

Then, I heard Mom and Dad being called to the stage.

"We'd like to thank the crew and Mr. Black for giving our child a second chance at life!"

A second chance at life?

I couldn't help but smile bitterly at those words. I turned and walked toward the hallway.

…

The emcee's voice rang out, full of excitement. "Now, let's welcome the transformed teenager, Logan Ewing!"

The audience erupted in applause, but I didn't appear on stage.

Arthur's face darkened. Just as he was about to send someone to find me, his phone rang.

He picked up the phone, and his assistant's panicked voice came through. "Mr. Black! That kid just jumped off the TV station's rooftop!"