---- it occurred to me. If only Stella were willing to help, Grandpa would have been saved. I wouldn't have to borrow from loan sharks either, let alone end up in this sorry state. But in the end, pondering about what ifs was pointless. When the MPV stopped, I bumped my forehead on the front seat from inertia. "Are you okay?" Stella asked. Her asking me that was like seeing a blue moon. Still, I shook my head in silence, clutching my forehead. For her part, she didn't press the issue and alighted right away, ignoring me and entered the Sullivan residence. ---- I went upstairs and quickly took a bath, changing out of my filthy trousers. There were several gruesome holes on my left kneecap -the blood had dried and blackened. It was a souvenir from the loan sharks, who had hammered several nails into my kneecap, and laughed out loud as I rolled around the ground, screaming and writhing in pain. After that, they starved me and said I only got to eat if I pulled those nails out with my own bare hands.