Seeing that Zac’s expression had returned to normal, the Gray family finally relaxed. "Alright, we’ll listen to you," Raelynn said gently, wiping the tears from Zac’s face, her love and concern clear in her eyes. Julie, watching from the sidelines, finally saw just how terrifying Zac truly was. His act was flawless, his manipulation seamless. She thought back carefully. Before Zac was adopted, Arthur had been mischievous at times, but he had never caused trouble outside. He had never flaunted his status as the Gray family’s son to bully others. In fact, Arthur had always been kind. He often went out of his way to help people in need. But everything changed after Zac arrived. That was when Arthur started getting into fights and coming home injured. Zac had claimed Arthur was an arrogant troublemaker, that he abused his family name to provoke others at school, which led to people attacking him. And that had been one of the reasons the family insisted Arthur should hide his identity in public. Now, Julie wasn’t so sure. After Zac was settled into his room, the Gray family members stayed with him until he fell asleep before heading downstairs. Julie was already sitting on the living room sofa, deep in thought. "Julie? You’re back?" Rosie was the first to notice her. Julie nodded. "Yeah." "Where were you?" Susie asked. No matter how busy they had been, the entire Gray family had rushed home the moment they heard about Zac’s situation. Julie used to be the same. But today, she had been absent for too long. Julie turned to look at them, her expression unreadable. "I went to see Arthur."The room fell silent. "Why bother? What’s there to see?" Susie muttered, her face full of displeasure. Julie had already visited Arthur once in the afternoon—why go again at night? Susie didn’t understand. Rosie walked down the stairs, her tone a bit more cautious. "How is he? Is he doing okay at school?" John and Raelynn sank into the couch without a word. The atmosphere in the room turned heavy. When it came to Arthur, their emotions were complicated. There was guilt. But there were also years of ingrained resentment. Julie’s mind replayed the image of Arthur’s body, covered in scars. Her eyes welled up with tears once again. Seeing her like this, Raelynn grew alarmed. "What’s wrong? Is Arthur not doing well at school?" Julie took a deep breath before speaking. "I saw his body. It’s covered in scars—everywhere." The entire room froze. "He… really has injuries?" Raelynn asked, shock in her voice. Deep down, all of them had believed Zac’s words when he accused Arthur of bribing the police. After all, Arthur had always been a troublemaker… hadn’t he? Julie’s tears finally fell. Now she understood. Now she truly understood why Arthur would rather stay in a school dorm than come home. Because in this house, no one believed him. No matter how much he suffered, no matter how many wounds he carried, no one cared. As long as Zac painted him as the villain, the Gray family never questioned it. They accepted it without hesitation.At this moment, Julie finally understood the depth of Arthur’s despair. The kind of despair that came from knowing that no matter what you do, no one will believe you. She couldn’t even imagine how he had survived all these years. He had been so young. No wonder he had grown timid and withdrawn. No wonder no one had ever noticed his suffering. Because he had been too afraid to speak. Because he had learned that the only thing waiting for him was more scorn and punishment. "Julie?" Rosie spoke hesitantly, noticing her sister’s unusual behavior. Julie was the strongest among the three sisters. She had not seen Julie cry in years. "Is it because Arthur doesn’t like living at school?" Rosie asked, concern in her voice. Susie, however, rolled her eyes. "He was the one who insisted on staying at the dorms. Now he doesn’t want to? Does he think we’ll just accept him back that easily?" Julie’s expression suddenly turned sharp. She frowned at Susie. "Arthur is part of this family. He’s our brother. He’s the son Mom carried for ten months before giving birth to. If he wants to come home, does he really need anyone’s permission?" Susie froze. They had said similar things before, but Julie had never reacted this strongly. Susie pursed her lips, clearly displeased by Julie’s serious tone. "Well, I don’t consider him my brother." The sharp sound of a slap echoed through the living room. Everyone turned, stunned. Even John looked at Julie in disbelief. "Julie!"