Chapter 11 Three to Ten Years in Jail

In the morning, Arthur mentioned wanting a birthday cake, but they thought he was trying to steal the spotlight during Zac's birthday party. They scolded him harshly, and John even wanted to slap him... At that time, he really didn't eat anything. How could it be that he hadn't eaten the entire day? After watching the surveillance footage, the couple felt deeply conflicted. They recalled when Arthur, as a child, came home crying, saying Zac had led others to bully him. However, before he got home, Zac had already told them "the truth," saying Arthur had been picking fights at school. As these incidents occurred more often, their patience with Arthur grew thinner. They never expected that Arthur was truly being bullied and hadn't been lying. After hesitating for a moment, John carefully said, "Arthur, you…" Before he could finish, Arthur thanked James and turned to leave right after. He didn't want to hear John's pretentious words, which disgusted him greatly. John wanted to call him back, but Arthur's name couldn't get out of his mouth. James snorted in annoyance and continued showing them the confession from Xavier's gang, and Ashley's critical witness testimony! Xavier's gang initially refused to admit to the bullying until the school surveillance footage was presented to them. What was caught on camera was only a small portion of the bullying. Much more had happened in restrooms and deserted corners! What Ashley witnessed was just the tip of the iceberg! Just the parts caught on camera was enough to make everyone gasp. James couldn't imagine what the boy had endured in places they had no footage. After enduring eight years of bullying, an ordinary child's mental state would have been in ruins long ago! The police had handled many bullying cases before, but the victims were usually kids whose parents weren't around or from dysfunctional families. Someone from a wealthy family with both parents present being bullied for eight years was a first for James. With Zac leading them, Xavier's gang bullied Arthur mercilessly, not even restraining themselves where they were caught on camera. They never imagined Arthur would dare to call the police. Faced with undeniable evidence, they had no choice but to confess. John and Raelynn watched clip after clip of the surveillance footage showing Arthur being surrounded and beaten up. Their hearts were filled with sorrow. Although they didn't like Arthur, feeling he didn't act like a considerate elder brother, he was still their biological son. Raelynn was hurt the most. She then remembered how much they had loved Arthur before adopting Zac. How had they gradually come to dislike Arthur so much? She held John's hand and tearfully said, "John, our son, he… actually…" Raelynn choked up, unable to continue speaking. John also felt extremely miserable and guilty. He said, grabbing Raelynn's shoulder as he prepared to leave, "T-Today's Arthur's birthday. Let's find him quickly. We must make it up to him properly." "Wait," James suddenly called out to them. John turned back and quickly grasped James' hand with both of his, his eyes overflowing with tears. "Detective, thank you, truly. Thank you." James sighed. It seemed now that these two were pitiful parents who were kept in the dark rather than purposefully not caring about their child. He patted John's shoulder and said, "You should definitely make up to Arthur, but…" Detective James added seriously, "Your other son, Zac, has repeatedly led others to verbally abuse and assault Arthur intentionally, and his actions were exceptionally severe. According to the penal code, he could face imprisonment for three to ten years!" He produced an arrest warrant and said, "Please come with us." The couple froze. "W-what!" the two exclaimed in unison. "Three to ten years!" "No…" John's body swayed as he nearly lost his balance. Tears streamed down Raelynn's face as she shook her head and pleaded, "No, Detective, it's not like that. Zac… can't go to jail. He just can't! His health's poor with his heart condition. He can't handle life in jail! He's only sixteen. Going to jail will ruin his life!" John dropped to his knees, landing with a loud thud before Detective James. Grabbing the policeman's hand in panic, he begged, "Detective James, Zac definitely didn't do it on purpose. He must've been misled by someone else. I'll have him apologize to Arthur. Please don't take him away. He's only sixteen."