Chapter 134

• "I did..." I gently pulled his head out of his hiding place. He obliged my request this time and sat in my lap, straddling my waist with his head hanging solemnly. Cupping his cheeks in my hands, I lifted his head to look at me and firmly refuted that woman's words, "But you are not worthless or a parasite in the slightest. I may not know what happened in that household before you met us... And I probably can't ever imagine what kind of hell you went through... But you are Achilles and I's son now. You are the precious eldest child of the Cordova family, so please hold your head up high. There is no reason to listen to those kinds of people."
• His lower lip wavered as he looked up to meet my eye. "But she g-gave birth to me... T-There must be s-something wrong with me if e-even my b-birth mother d-doesn't want me..."
• My heart clenched painfully at his words. "Liam, there's nothing wrong with you, not a single thing. She may be flesh and blood, but she is not your family. A family is built on trust and love. A family will love you unconditionally and care about your feelings and thoughts. A family does not treat you the way she treats you. A family always thinks about you first, like the way Achilles always cares for us. They will be patient with you and wait for you even when you are being difficult, like the way Mr. and Mrs. Cordova still wanted to love you even when you didn't trust them yet. Family will love you even when you don't love yourself."