Regret It Now?

Felix clutched his head, grimacing in pain, but his eyes were still clouded with confusion as he stared up at William.

"Zach…"

"I'm not that beggar."

William seized Felix's matted, unkempt hair. The searing pain sent Felix thrashing wildly, though he was careful not to so much as brush against William.

William gave him a disdainful look and slapped him across the face. Felix cried out, but before he could make another sound, William shoved a rag into his mouth, muffling his cries.

Then he grabbed Felix and threw him to the floor like he was nothing. Felix, terrified, scrambled back into the corner.

William crouched before him, his face twisted in a vicious smirk as he slapped him again and again.

"You're the little beggar, and Zach's the big one. What a pair." William gave a harsh laugh.

"Zach's nothing but trash. Who does he think he is, calling himself my brother? Because of him, the whole class makes fun of me. That useless waste should've stayed rotting in the countryside. He's disgusting."

Felix's cheeks burned red, swelling from the blows, while the rag stuffed in his mouth slowly darkened with blood.

William stared at Felix, now limp and barely conscious in the corner, and grinned. Before leaving, he drove his foot into Felix's spine with one last, savage kick.

My hand shook as I reached out, trying to brush Felix's hair, but my fingers closed on nothing but air.

…

William sent Felix away.

It all started when Felix crawled under Anne's skirt and scared her. But the truth was, William had snatched the doll I'd given Felix and spitefully thrown it at Anne's feet.

I'd sewn that doll by hand for Felix back in the countryside, and he treasured it. But William treated it like a cruel joke, tossing it right at Anne's feet like it was worthless.

Felix had an intellectual disability, so he didn't fully understand what was happening. He just dashed over and ducked under Anne's skirt to grab it back. The sudden movement made her shriek.

William immediately grabbed Felix by the scruff of his neck and threw him aside. I tried to catch Felix, lunging forward to cushion his fall, but he passed through me and hit the floor hard.

He was still sore from the beating William had given him a few days earlier, and the impact made him wince in pain.

Anne huffed in frustration and pulled out her phone to call me, but it went straight to voicemail.

William let out a low chuckle, his words slow but laced with something close to pity. "Hard to say if Felix learned this from Zach. This kid's barely grown and already lifting girls' skirts. And everyone says he's slow. If even he can pull that off, imagine what Zach gets up to normally."

Anne recoiled, her face twisting in disgust as she backed away from Felix. He stood there in a daze, completely unaware of what they were saying.

Anne scowled. "Trust Zach to mess things up. Who in their right mind would pick up some random idiot and bring them home?"

William's eyes gleamed sharply as he said, "We should just get rid of Felix. With the way he acts, who knows? Next thing you know, he'll be sneaking into your room."

Anne hesitated.

"Plenty of couples can't have kids. He'll be taken care of. It's better than staying here and picking up Zach's bad habits."

Eventually, Anne gave in.

As soon as she was gone, William drove his foot into Felix, knocking him to the ground. His eyes gleamed with cruel amusement. "Relax, you little idiot. I'll set you up somewhere nice. A beggar should stick with their own kind."

And just like that, William severed the last connection I had to the Seymours.

…

I'd been dead for ten days, and the Seymours still couldn't be bothered to look for me. Everyone just figured I'd run off to avoid getting punished.

Mom's hatred for me only grew worse, and she spat, "Good riddance to that worthless son of mine! A disgrace like him is nothing but shame!"

Then her phone buzzed with a video from the Dean of Students.

There I was on all fours, crawling forward in the most humiliating way imaginable. The camera trailed me for a few steps before I turned toward the lens with this fawning grin. Then I stuck my tongue out, barking like a dog.

My family didn't notice how my clothes hung off me. Even the smallest size swallowed my bony frame whole.