Chapter 2

Sharon’s eyes were filled with pure hatred for the Leroy family. I looked into them, and suddenly, I couldn’t find the words to speak. I wanted so badly to tell her that even if she hadn’t ended up with me, Wesley still wouldn’t have married her. Back when his career was at its peak, he was one of the hottest stars. Even announcing a relationship would have been impossible, let alone marriage. Sharon’s gaze turned even more vicious as she stared at me. "None of you Leroys are getting away!" And with that one sentence, my entire life turned upside down. … Wesley’s body was cremated, and his urn was placed in the mourning hall for people to pay their respects. Mom had raised him for 26 years and had formed a deep bond with him. Even after I reunited with my family, she still saw Wesley as her son. Since Wesley’s death, Mom had been crying non-stop, collapsing into fits of tears at the hospital. Dad stayed behind to take care of her, and so he told me to pay my respects at the funeral and send Wesley off one last time. I ordered some flowers and brought them to the memorial. However, as soon as I arrived, I saw Sharon’s men tossing my flowers out. She stood there, red-eyed and furious, glaring at me. "Kaelan, haven’t you tortured Wesley enough? Why do you have to show up here and disgust him even in death?" I felt a hole in my heart watching her fall apart over another man. The pain was too much to bear. Still, I suppressed my emotions and said, "My parents saw him as their son. It’s only right for me to be here." Sharon chuckled, but it was full of hatred. "Fine. Then, apologize until he forgives you!" The death of a superstar like Wesley had devastated many, and the media reporters had shown up in droves on this day. As soon as they heard Sharon's words, they turned their cameras on me. Sharon told them to start live streaming as she wanted the whole world to see just how vile I was. I tried to block the cameras with my hands, gritting my teeth. "I didn’t kill him. Why should I apologize?" "How dare you keep denying it!" Sharon was enraged now. "You’ll never be able to repay Wesley. An apology is the least you can do!" Then, she called her bodyguards over, and they shoved me down, forcing me to apologize. I struggled, landing a punch on one of their faces before more of them jumped on me. I couldn’t fight them all off, but I wasn’t about to apologize either. In the chaos, I knocked over the memorial stand. Wesley’s photo fell to the floor, and shards of glass cut across his face. Sharon’s face fell. She rushed toward me in a frenzy, grabbing whatever she could and hurling it at me. I didn’t fight back and merely let her hit me, while my eyes were burning with tears. Before long, blood started to run down my brow, hot and stinging. "Sharon, if you ever find out that this was all just a plot by Wesley to frame me, would you—" She froze for a moment before cutting me off sharply, "Shut up! You’ll never repent, will you? Very well. There’s only one place that can make you pay." I didn’t understand what she meant, but it soon became clear when the police arrived. They pinned me down, snapping handcuffs onto my wrists. "Kaelan Leroy, you’re under arrest for the murder of Wesley Leroy. Please come with us." I struggled wildly. "I didn’t do it! Wesley’s death has nothing to do with me!" The reporters swarmed in like vultures, eager to capture my every desperate move and record my most humiliating moment. "I heard that Ms. Tatham handed over all the evidence of him killing Wesley to the police." "Yeah, a murderer like him should be locked up for life!" I gaped at Sharon incredulously, unable to believe that she was the one who called the police and had me arrested.