In the Lab Where Time Froze

Xander Smith grew up as the beloved adopted son of the Smith family—until Hayden, the biological heir, returned and shattered that life. Framed and rejected, Xander clings to one last act of love: he volunteers for his eldest sister's Time Capsule Project and offers his corneas to restore their blind second sister's sight. During the three days he is forced home, he survives relentless schemes, watches his pet rabbit vanish, and finds his eighteenth birthday erased as if he never mattered. Heartbroken and betrayed, he withdraws into the laboratory—his refuge and silent protest. Years later the family uncovers the truth and, drowning in regret, waits outside the lab for thirty long years.