Parents and Son Under Attack Chapter 10

Just then, the principal who'd finished parking arrived. Seeing her, Mr. and Mrs. Grant immediately put on ingratiating faces, showing none of their earlier hysteria.

Ethan would be starting high school next year. With his poor grades but high aspirations to attend the best high school, they'd inevitably need to ask the principal for favors.

After learning Sarah was the daughter of a prestigious school's principal, Ethan's subtle expression became even more obvious. He even let go of Lily's hand.

"I knew Brother Caleb wouldn't lie to us."

The Grant parents also came to their senses, laughing apologetically at us—mainly afraid of offending Sarah, with me just included incidentally.

"Principal, thank you for taking our Caleb out to play on your day off."

Sarah looked at this family whose faces changed faster than flipping pages, unable to help laughing in anger:

"Mr. and Mrs. Grant, guess why we're here for a picnic?"

Lily seemed to notice Ethan's gaze constantly stuck on Sarah's face. Her tone grew worse.

"Why else? The weather's nice! We're also taking Ethan out to enjoy the sun..." Her words trailed off as she finally noticed Sarah was holding a cake.

That's right. Not one Grant family member remembered—today was my birthday.

I couldn't help but laugh coldly:

"Mom and Dad aren't you worried about me? How come you forgot my birthday? Last month for Ethan's birthday, didn't you host a whole dinner party?"

With every sentence I spoke, Mom's expression grew uglier. She wanted to explain something to me but couldn't get a word out. As for Dad and Lily, they only knew how to be stubborn. Having always claimed to treat both sons equally, they couldn't possibly admit to favoring Ethan.

"Well, you never come home during breaks. We wanted to celebrate your birthday but couldn't."

Sarah stepped forward two paces, blocking me, looking at the Grant family with hostile eyes:

"Can't celebrate a birthday, but you prepared gifts for Caleb, right? What did you all prepare for him? Don't tell me it's empty promises."

The Grant family had completely forgotten my birthday. Of course they had no gifts. Just as some guilt toward me was growing in them, Ethan's eyes became like a faucet that could be turned on and off, streaming tears.

"Brother Caleb, don't blame Mom and Dad. It's all my fault. If I wasn't so sick, Mom and Dad wouldn't be so worried and wouldn't have forgotten your birthday."

"You're right to resent me. Someone like me might as well be dead."

As he cried, his whole body trembled and swayed toward us, but Sarah and I both instinctively stepped aside, letting Ethan fall embarrassingly to the ground.

Ethan was cherished on the Grant family's palm. When he fell and scraped a bit of skin, their hearts nearly broke. Lily was most impulsive. She ran to me and raised her hand to slap me.

"How did Ethan fall? Did you push him?"

But the slap didn't land on my face—Sarah blocked it solidly. Though Sarah was a girl, she ran and worked out regularly with good physical fitness. She gripped skinny Lily's arm tightly.

The principal looked sternly at Mr. and Mrs. Grant, sharp eyes seeming to condemn them for being unqualified as parents:

"I clearly saw this little boy fall by himself. How can you hit Caleb without evidence!"

"You treat him like this, yet blame him for not coming home. Don't you think you're ridiculous?"

The principal angrily dropped these lines and pulled Sarah and me away from the Grant family. She and Sarah worried I'd lost interest in celebrating my birthday because of the Grant family's manipulations, but I'd long given up on them. In comparison, creating beautiful memories with people who truly cared about me was far more important.

We sat by the scenic lakeside sharing cake. The principal gave me a brand-new backpack. Sarah's gift was a small bracelet she'd woven herself. Imagining gentle Sarah seriously weaving the bracelet, warmth filled my heart. Sarah blushed but wouldn't look at me anymore.