"It''s just that so much time had passed, and given his nature of being tight-lipped, trying to pry anything out of him was futile. So, I decided to confront Summer about it."


    Zach''s lips twitched into a half-smile, "Even though she imed ignorance, the panic in her denial was a dead giveaway. That''s when I began to suspect the kidnapping might actually have something to do with her..."


    Later, he called Chester to dig into the past events, and that''s when the truth came to light. The viins had initially targeted Summer.


    Nick had just happened to stumble upon the scene and attempted to rescue her. But when she managed to escape, she never mentioned to anyone that Nick had been abducted in her stead.


    Because of her silence, the golden hour for his rescue was missed. Although they eventually saved Nick, he was barely hanging on, his body riddled with injuries.


    Waking up with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, Nick retreated into silence, a condition that kept everyone from knowing that Summer was the original target of those nefarious thugs.


    It wasn''t until two yearster, when Nick had begun to recover, that he decided to confront her about it.


    Zach could still vividly remember the bitterness in Nick''s plea for him not to disclose the truth to the family. Perhaps out of familial loyalty, he chose to shoulder everything. If Summer had really cared, she would havee clean from the start.


    But she didn''t, and that led Nick to eventually choose to go abroad, disillusioned.


    After giving it some thought, Zach felt he couldn''t keep this to himself any longer. So, he tentatively brought it up with Emmitt, forgetting that Emmitt had always doted on Summer.


    When Zach revealed that Summer had intentionally fled and kept Nick''s abduction a secret, Emmitt''s initial reaction was disbelief, even using Zach of harboring ill thoughts. He insisted that Mirabe was too innocent and sweet to do such a thing.


    Seeing Emmitt''s reaction, and considering the unconditional trust their parents ced in Summer, Zach realized thating clean might not change anyone''s beliefs.


    After a few attempts, Zach stopped bringing up Summer''s actions. From then on, his behavior towards her changed; he couldn''t look at her without being reminded of Nick''s ordeal.


    Despite understanding the instinctual human reactions to survive as he grew older, Zach couldn''t fathom why she didn''t alert the family right away, which could have prevented Nick''s near-fatal oue.


    Whenever their parents questioned why he wasn''t as close to Summer, he could only evade the truth, unable to voice the real reason.


    Sometimes, not all truths need to be spoken to be fair to everyone. Revealing this particr truth could shatter their family.


    If the parents realized the child they had cherished for so long was capable of such cruelty, the heartbreak would be immense.


    Nick''s choice to remain silent was probably for the best.


    Zach looked up, gathering his thoughts, and after a while, his gaze softened as he looked at Mirabe. Seeing the concern in his sister''s eyes stirred something in him.


    People are indeed different.


    The distinction between blood and non-blood rtions, the inherent conscience carried within, all vary.


    Reflecting on the past, Zach felt relieved. Thank goodness Summer wasn''t a true Davis.