Chapter 630
Wayne walked in, ice-cold and ready to throw down. He didn’t waste a second before turning on his parents.
Matthew’s face darkened. “Wayne, are you really going down this path? Throwing everything away?”
Wayne stared at them, his voice steady yet sharp. “Everything? You mean the scraps you’ve been throwing me my whole life? Let me spell it out for you. The moment Jace was born, I stopped existing. You made it all about him—your golden child. Meanwhile, I was just… there. Forgotten. Like furniture.”
“You let him sleep in your room while I stayed alone in the dark, hiding under a blanket, terrified. But it was always the same excuse, wasn’t it? ‘He’s younger than you.’ Newsflash—I was a kid too! Did that ever occur to you?”
Wayne’s voice cracked. “It wasn’t just the attention. He took everything. Your love, my toys, my clothes—literally everything I cared about. And you? You guilt-tripped me into letting it happen. ‘You’re the older brother.’ That was your catch-all excuse for wrecking my childhood. I learned to give in. To him. Always to him.”
His words landed like gut punches, leaving Matthew and Lindey looking like they’d seen a ghost. Wayne’s face was tight, but his eyes betrayed years of pain and bitterness, finally spilling out.
“And then,” Wayne said, his tone softening, “Rea moved in. From the moment I met her, I liked her. But guess what you did? You told me she was Jace’s. That I didn’t even have a chance. Once again, I was shoved aside for him.”
His gaze lingered on me for a beat. As messed up as his feelings were, I could tell they were real—twisted, sure, but painfully honest.
He pressed on, “You didn’t stop there. You handed Jace the company and acted like throwing me a bone was some grand gesture. All it really did was ship me off abroad for four years. Four years! And how many times did you visit? Zero. Not even when Jace got engaged.”
Wayne let out a dry laugh. “You thought I didn’t notice? That I wouldn’t figure it out? You were afraid I’d mess up your perfect little plan. But spoiler alert—it didn’t work. Jace’s engagement tanked, and I came back. Did you welcome me home? Of course not. You were too busy panicking that I’d ruin things again.”
“But did you ever think about how much that wrecked me? There were so many nights I wondered if I was even your kid. So yeah, I did a DNA test behind your back. Spoiler alert—I am.”
“So tell me this: why? Why is Jace the favorite? I was first. You loved me first. When did I become the spare, the one who didn’t matter?”
Wayne let out a bitter laugh, his voice tinged with both anger and despair. “Fine. I swallowed all of it. I told myself it’s because Jace is more charming, more likable. But now, when he and Rea are no longer a thing and I finally want something for myself, you’re still blocking me. All to protect your precious favorite?”
His voice cracked as it rose, trembling with raw emotion. “You say we’re both your sons, but why am I the one you throw away every time?”
By the time he was done, Wayne was shaking with rage. The veins in his temples were about to pop. And then, like it couldn’t get worse, Jace walked in.
“You think you’re cast aside? Maybe take a good look at yourself and figure out why,” Jace said.
The tension in the room exploded. Hostility radiated from every corner, the air thick enough to choke on.
I stood there, silent, watching the whole mess unfold. The fact that I was the reason for most of it? Yeah, I noticed. Didn’t mean I was about to play mediator. Instead, I let a smirk tug at my lips. “You guys clearly have a lot to unpack. I’ll leave you to it.”
I grabbed the folder with the assets and turned to Matthew. “Wayne’s right—this was mine to begin with. It’s not charity, and it’s not a bargaining chip.”
This wasn’t just paper. My parents had literally died for this. So yeah, I was taking it. And even if Matthew hadn’t handed it over, I would’ve fought tooth and nail to get it.
“Rea,” Lindey said, her voice shaky.
I paused, waiting for her to speak, but the words wouldn’t leave… “What?” I asked, holding up the folder. “Yo…