It's Not Always Blood Is Thicker than Water

I was dragged behind the school by a group of thugs and beaten all night, just a day before the physical exam. When I was finally rescued, both of my arms were broken and two of my ribs were cracked — meaning I would never be able to play basketball again for the rest of my life.

My mom didn’t answer my emergency call because she was away on a business trip. When she found out, she cried with guilt and swore she would make them pay for what they did to me.

My sister pulled every string she could to assemble the best medical team in the city to try to save me.

As I lay in the car, barely conscious, I heard her whisper,

“Mom, don’t you think this is too much?” There was hesitation in her voice. “Sending someone to rough up Rafael at school—if you wanted to stop him from taking the fitness test and clear the way for Cliff, wasn’t there another way?”

My mom took a tissue, gently wiping the sweat from my forehead before sighing.

“He kept targeting Cliff at school. To keep him under control and get him out of Cliff’s way, we didn’t have a choice.”

“I’m going to make him the successor—the future head of the company. That should be enough to make up for it.”

But basketball had been my lifelong dream.

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

Turns out, the happy family I thought I had was nothing more than a web of lies and betrayal.