Arthur let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "I never told you? How many times have I told you since I was a child? Did you ever believe me?" "But Zac said you got into fights at school—" "With who?" Arthur cut her off. "Who have I ever fought? If you had even bothered to check with the school, you’d know the answer! But did you ever investigate? No. You all only believe that fake, manipulative snake Zac! The moment he plays the victim, you take his side without question. You never saw me, never cared about me, never once treated me as family!" By the end, Arthur was practically yelling. He had told himself over and over that they weren’t worth it. That this so-called family wasn’t something he needed. But in the end, they were still his biological parents. His real sister. Now, facing her, Arthur couldn’t suppress the flood of anger and injustice surging in his chest. Julie stood there, stunned. She had never thought about it that way before. Zac had always been frail. Every time he fell sick, they had assumed it was because Arthur had upset him. Their bias against Arthur had only grown deeper over the years. They had always thought of him as an unruly troublemaker, someone who couldn’t be disciplined, a wild child. Never once had they considered that he might have been innocent. Tears streamed down Julie’s face. "Arthur… I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. We neglected you, we let you suffer…" Arthur’s eyes turned red. That apology… He had dreamed of hearing it countless times. He had waited too long. Waited so long that it had cost him his life. Waited until his heart had already turned cold. Julie suddenly thought of something. She grabbed Arthur’s hand. "Arthur, you… you’ve been hurt so many times—where did you get the money to go to the hospital?"Ever since they had adopted Zac, the Gray family had stopped giving Arthur any allowance. Medical treatment wasn’t free. With all the injuries he had suffered over the years, just treating them would have cost a fortune. For their family, that kind of money was nothing. But for Arthur, who had no financial support from them, it was an impossible sum. Arthur yanked his hand away and put his shirt back on, his voice emotionless. "I didn’t go to a hospital. Where would I get the money for that? I just patched myself up however I could." It was the truth. Medical fees were expensive. At first, when he still had some money, he had managed to visit the hospital for treatment. But when that ran out, all he could do was wrap the wounds himself. That was why so many scars remained. The wounds on his back—places he couldn’t reach—he had just tied cloth around them as best he could. Hearing this, Julie’s tears fell even harder. How could this have happened? "Just patched himself up"—how? He had no medicine, no sterile tools. How had he even managed? And he had said it started after Zac was adopted. That meant… he had been bullied like this since he was only eight or nine years old. Boys that age were still clinging to their mothers, throwing tantrums when they scraped their knees. Yet he had been forced to dress his own open wounds. Julie couldn’t even imagine how he must have felt back then—going home in pain, trying to tell his family, only for them to dismiss him. How had he endured? How had he managed to survive?Julie sobbed uncontrollably, clutching her chest as if she were in physical pain. "Arthur… I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…" she kept repeating. Arthur simply sat back down on the sofa, sipping his water, completely unmoved by her tears. That apology—once, it had been all he wanted. Now, he didn’t need it anymore. It was a little too late for her to care. Arthur’s voice was cold. "Ms. Julie, you’ve asked your questions. If there’s nothing else, I’d appreciate it if you stopped disturbing me." Julie flinched. Ms. Julie? He had completely cut her off. "Arthur…" she choked out. She wanted to say more, to try again. But Arthur had no intention of wasting another second on her. He stood up and slammed the door shut. Julie stumbled back in shock, barely avoiding hitting her nose. "Arthur… Arthur!" She pounded on the door, desperate to talk to him, to comfort him, to make things right. Arthur’s irritated voice came from inside. "If you don’t leave, I’ll call security." Julie froze. "Arthur… do you really not want to see me? I’m your sister…" Her voice trembled with heartbreak and despair. Silence. Arthur had already picked up his book and was fully immersed in studying. With the memories of his past life, his mind was far sharper than any average sixteen-year-old. His ability to absorb and understand knowledge had improved drastically.He had no time to waste.