Chapter Four

"I'm sorry father." Ivan cried.

His words rattled around in Chris's head until he finally found himself furious at Ivan's words.

Camping? 

They went camping? 

Chris had thought Ivan was hospitalized for the past few days, but instead they were camping while he was locked in the attic fighting for his life.

Tears stained his now pale and frozen skin as he searched his memories trying to figure out what he ever did wrong to deserve such treatment from his so-called family.

He couldn't find any. He had always obeyed them but they weren't satisfied.

Ivan would mock him and treated him badly and even if Chris told their parents, they would always side with Ivan and Chris got beatings in return.

Chris felt his body getting weaker and weaker. The beating sound of his heart became even louder. 

He struggled to stay awake but every minute was heart wrenching.

Their words hurts more than the pain he was in. He didn't want to hear them anymore and with his consciousness slowly slipping away from him, Chris gave into the darkness that took control.

When Morris noticed that Chris's eyes was fully closed, he panicked. 

But Ivan was wailing as though he was deeply remorseful when frankly, he wasn't. 

"Ivan, no need to worry about this. It wasn't your fault." Morris wiped the tears from Ivan's eyes and then said, "Chris is met to be blamed. If he didn't want to end up as wretched as he is now, he would have confessed and apologized to you, but he didn't. How is that your fault Ivan?" Morris said as he patted his shoulders.

"Has he finally fainted?" Teresa smiled as she looked over at Chris's body.

"It doesn't seem like he is pretending." There was no remorse in Morris's words. He didn't even spare Chris a second glance, instead he hissed at the body. 

The thought of the troubles he would go through calling the ambulance caused him to flare up in anger. 

Even a stranger would had pity seeing someone laying almost lifeless on the cold snow. 

"He deserved what he got for pushing Ivan down the stairs." Morris still patted Ivan's shoulders.

"He did. What would have happened if my poor baby had broken his ankle or his bone fractured. I dare not imagine Morris." Teresa was dramatic. 

When she saw Morris took out his phone and called the ambulance, she wished he could have just left Chris out there.

The ambulance soon arrived. They made no effort to raise Chris from the snow. Neither did they try to cover him up, but they left him there, as though he was a thief that was caught and beaten to the point he lost consciousness. 

Chris was lifted on the stretcher. When the doctor took a look at him, he was left speechless.

His eyes wavered round the compound as he asked, "Do you by chance know who this is?" He took out a pen and book to jot down the patient name. 

It never occurred to him that Morris and his wife were the boy's parents, but then-

"Chris Adams, he is my son." Morris answered leaving the doctor stunned.

"He is your son?" The doctor's brows raised in shock. 

He took another glance at Chris again, and checked his pulse. He realized that Chris was malnourished, starving, lacked water. 

There was also frostbite and many injuries in his body. He took another glance at Morris, and looked at the family. His gaze then traveled between their faces.

They didn't seem as though they were tormented by how haggard the boy were. Neither were their eyes filled with a bit of remorse.

The doctor felt embarrassed and ashamed on their behalf on such ill-treatment done to a young boy. 

He suspected that Chris has been abused by the family. And from his observation, it didn't seem like what had happened only once but constantly.

"Chris Adams." The doctor wrote on his book and then signaled his assistants to move Chris inside the ambulance. 

"Excuse me for a minute doctor, I need to get a coat for my son." Morris pretentiously entered the mansion.

He knew the doctor had caught up to him. He came out with a long coat and a stack of cash he hid inside the coat.

"Please help me cover him up." He gave it to the doctor who suddenly was left startled as he took the coat from Morris.

The doctor touched the stack of cash that was hidden inside the coat and his eyes widened in shock.

He exchanged gazes with Morris and from Morris's countenance, the doctor understood he had just received a bribe to remain silent.

"Kindly treat my son and mind your business." Morris warned. Though he smiled, the doctor was greatly threatened. 

"Of course..." There was no way he would have not accepted.

Morris Adams was not just a successful business man but a man with a lot of influence even in politics.

If he wanted, he could easily make the doctor's life miserable.

The doctor understood this, and he didn't dare to reject the money given to him. Neither did he plan to report the situation. 

"I will follow behind to the hospital." Morris smiled and took a hold of Ivan. 

"Okay then." The doctor feigned a smile and entered the ambulance.

As the ambulance drove off, a frown slowly brewed in Morris's face.

"How dare that dimwit. Look at what he have caused me. I had to pay off the doctor." His thumbs balled into fist.

"I wouldn't spare him a bit when he gets back home. He would work for every cent that will be spent for his hospital bills." Teresa didn't fail to ignite Morris's fury. 

It would even be better to have Morris disown Chris at this point. 

"Are you leaving for the hospital?" Teresa asked Morris but he only frowned at her and didn't respond.