Chapter 3Why Can't They Smell My Son's Stench?

I finally noticed a detail I'd been ignoring all this time.

Leonard had repeatedly told me how well his roommates treated him, but in both lives, I had never seen them come to his aid, support him, or even help him up once.

Did that cold attitude look like they had a good relationship in any way? Had they spotted Leonard's personality weaknesses and gaslighted him? Could that strange odor coming from him have been one of their methods of control?

I was trembling uncontrollably as I thought about it. I could no longer control my emotions.

Leonard looked at me, clearly annoyed. "What exactly are you trying to say, Dad?"

I shook my head, not daring to share my suspicions for fear of damaging my relationship with Leonard even further. I needed evidence first. I knew my sense of smell was fine, so the odor coming from Leonard was definitely real.

If everyone else claimed they couldn't smell it, there was only one explanation—they were pretending they couldn't.

Leonard had been subjected to serious psychological manipulation, so his mental state and judgment might have been affected. He might also have lost his sense of smell.

A simple way to confirm my theory was to take him outside. The odor coming off him was so overpowering that people on the street would definitely catch a whiff of it.

"You're almost fully recovered, Leonard. Why don't I take you out tomorrow? I'll buy some things for your roommates to maintain your friendships, Leonard."

I suggested taking Leonard out early the following morning. I realized that wherever he went, the foul odor coming from him seemed incredibly strong. But strangely enough, not a single person looked our way as we walked out of the residential complex.

Could they not smell it, or did they not know the stench came from Leonard?

I began to feel increasingly anxious and uneasy. I stopped a young man who passed by and asked, "Do you notice any strange odor?"

The young man looked at me strangely and said, "I don't notice any strange odor around!"

How could that be? That young man had been standing right next to us. How could he not notice the odor?

I anxiously led Leonard farther down the street and stopped another person, but even after asking ten people, every one of them claimed they couldn't smell a thing.

There was something seriously wrong here—and my sense of smell wasn't the problem.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you acting so strangely, Dad?" Leonard couldn't take it anymore and stopped me. Embarrassed by my behavior, he turned and left.

I felt like I was losing my mind here. What on Earth was going on?