CLMO 34🔐

Chapter 34

May’s revelations continued without pause.

• Those devilish people were so malicious that they would only strike in places where no one else could see.

Don’t cry.

Sian focused her eyes and listened carefully to May’s voice. She had to remember every word in her mind.

• And the way they spoke… so cunning. I still remember it.

May lowered her voice and imitated someone.

It was either Mr. Morgan or Mrs. Morgan. It had to be one of them.

• This is all your fault. You chose to punish yourself. Only then can we become a perfect family. Don’t cry, all your siblings went through it too.

May snorted.

• And when they said “fault,” it wasn’t anything serious. Maybe you stuttered nervously in front of strangers, or didn’t get the grades they expected at school. That was all.

Sian couldn’t say a word.

• And the worst part? They were extremely racist.

And May’s revelations didn’t stop there.

• There was even a Black boy among the adopted kids. Whenever he did something, they’d spout nonsense like “Black people are primitive,” or “You kids are like this because you’re under our rule.”

“I don’t understand.”

Sian murmured, shocked.

“Why would people like that adopt children?”

A white supremacist capable of making blatantly discriminatory remarks in front of a child—yet they specifically adopted children of color. Sian couldn’t comprehend it.

May gave a knowing look, understanding Sian’s confusion completely.

• They wanted to look good in front of others. Adopting a child isn’t easy, but to adopt children of a different race and “successfully raise them”? That’s really impressive.

“Just for that reason…?”

• It wasn’t just for that. They also used the kids to collect huge donations for their foundation. No doubt the money went straight into their pockets.

Sian was speechless.

May seemed to sense the shock Sian must have felt and paused her revelations for a moment.

As the heavy silence stacked layer upon layer, Aaron finally broke it.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

• Excuse me?

Sian and May both looked at Aaron, startled.

“This should never have happened. May, you and others shouldn’t have grown up hearing such… terrible words.”

Sian was doubly shocked by Aaron’s apology. She had been surprised when he apologized to Janice, but at least then he had a reason—he had been passive. This time, he had done nothing wrong.

May’s reaction wasn’t much different. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she soon laughed it off.

• It’s fine. You didn’t adopt me, after all.

May firmly stated that if anyone deserved an apology, it was the Morgans.

Anyway, thanks to Aaron’s apology, the tense atmosphere loosened, and Sian asked May a question.

“Um… may I ask you something?”

• Of course.

“Listening to your story, it seems like escaping from the Morgans must have been extremely difficult…”

• You mean how I got out?

Sian nodded cautiously.

• I was different from the other kids there. I had some memories with my real parents, even if brief.

May had experienced love from her real parents. Before they tragically died, she had been cherished and raised well, so she could resist and not submit to foster parents who treated her like trash.

• And if I got rejected again, I could just go back to China.

“…”

• I could meet new foster parents, or find a way to live on my own.

May appeared momentarily frustrated. But it wasn’t anger—it was exasperation. She felt sorrow and distress for the foster kids who had never been loved, only abused.

• But the other kids didn’t understand. To them, the Morgans were real parents. If they were abandoned, it felt like the sky was falling.

“…”

• No matter how abusive the parents are, the kids feel compelled to love them.

Sian understood that feeling all too well. She felt the same toward her foster parents. Thankfully, Sian had good foster parents, but not everyone was that lucky.

• But Ian was different.

Sian, weighed down by guilt, lifted her head.

• Ian never loved the Morgans. He hated them as much as I did, but he hid it very well. He was like an adult.

May’s eyes scanned Sian on the screen, seemingly searching for a resemblance to Ian.

• So when I was about to be rejected, I asked Ian to leave this damn house with me… but he refused.

Before Sian even heard May’s explanation, she knew the reason.

• He said he had a sick sibling in Korea. The Morgans were paying for the hospital bills, so he couldn’t go. His truly loved family was someone else.

Sian finally broke down. She buried her face in her hands and cried quietly.

‘I… I pushed my brother into hell…’

Unlike the other adopted children, Ian didn’t blindly love his foster parents. He could have left, just like May did—but he didn’t.

Because of Sian, solely to protect her.

Aaron wrapped his arm around Sian’s collapsing shoulders and asked on her behalf.

“Currently, Ian firmly believes his sibling is dead. Do you know anything about that?”

• Well… when I was there, no one mentioned that his sibling had died.

May looked completely unaware. Clearly, something had happened to Ian after she was rejected.

• I’m sorry I couldn’t help. I guess that’s what you really wanted to know.

“No, what you told me was more than enough.”

Sian raised her head and thanked May, whose voice sounded apologetic. She had previously only been able to speculate about Ian and the Morgans, but now she had concrete testimony. She understood Ian a little better. That alone made her feel closer to him.

• I don’t know the whole story, but I hope Ian and you work things out.

May gave a bitter smile before ending the video call.

• Siana, you’re lucky to have a brother like Ian.

But Sian couldn’t smile back. She doubted that Ian would ever feel proud to have Sian as a sister, or want others to envy him.

“Thank you for taking the time today.”

Sian managed a small smile and ended the video call.

“…”

“…”

Left alone in Aaron’s room, Sian forced herself to compose her broken heart.

“Thank you again, Aaron. Because of you, I know what… what my brother went through…”

Her voice trembled as she tried to hold back tears.

“It’s okay to cry in front of me.”

Aaron, unable to bear seeing her like that, handed her a tissue. Sian shook her head.

“I don’t even deserve to cry.”

Aaron sighed heavily, watching her sniffling with red eyes like a little rabbit.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

‘I’m sorry’ can mean both regret and apology. At first, Sian assumed Aaron meant the former.

“No, I really mean it. I’m sorry.”

But seeing his repeatedly solemn expression, it was clear he meant the latter.

“Why are you the one apologizing?” Sian teased lightly, but his serious expression didn’t change.

“To be honest, I thought Ian was weird until I heard May’s story.”

“Ah…”

Sian made a small noise in response to Aaron’s confession.

“Anyway, the Morgans are rich and provide Ian with everything he needs. I thought it was inevitable that he wouldn’t be treated like their real child.”

Aaron sneered.

“I was arrogant.”

What truly made him feel guilty was different. Seeing Sian in pain over Ian’s abuse at the hands of racist foster parents, he finally realized how terrible it really was. If not for Sian, he might never have cared or empathized with the struggles of minority children. That realization weighed heavily on his conscience.

“Aaron, that’s not your fault.”

Sian gently comforted him, wrapped in guilt. Aaron even felt guilty about being forgiven by her.

Sian carefully held his hand as he gave a bitter smile.

“Let’s just look at the results objectively. Thanks to you finding May, we now know what Ian went through.”

“Not everything…”

Aaron glanced at their intertwined hands but didn’t pull away. He kept her hand and said,

“I still haven’t figured out why Ian believes you’re dead.”

“But at least we can speculate that it has something to do with the Morgans.”

Aaron silently raised an eyebrow. Sian added clarification.

“May said that other adopted kids genuinely followed the Morgans, but Ian didn’t. Even if he hid it well, they would have known.”

“So?”

“They probably wanted to control him somehow. For that, I had to disappear. I was the only remaining blood relative Ian had.”

The more Sian spoke, the more convinced she became. Aaron seemed to take her theory seriously.

“Now the crucial point is how to convince Ian that I exist.”

Sian grumbled.

“Never thought I’d have to prove I’m alive and well.”

“It’s worth the effort.”

“You’re right. But how?”

Her head felt like it would explode. She flopped loudly onto the sofa.

“The only thing I can think of right now is the full recovery certificate from a hospital in Korea. I even got multiple copies for my parents as a keepsake.”

“Hm.”

“Do you think that’s enough to prove me?”

Aaron hesitated before cautiously responding.

“Siana… promise me you won’t get angry at what I’m about to say.”

What on earth was he about to say? His expression was as solemn as a soldier heading into battle.