Chapter 60
Her words sliced through me like a blade.”
This house–my father’s ancestral home–was now being called the home of a mistress and her illegitimate child??
And now, Sabrina was demanding that I bow my head to a ten–year–old boy? That I make promises to the woman who had no right to be here?”
A suffocating realization hit me.”
Everything I had done, every attempt at redemption, had been nothing more than my own foolish delusion.”
I didn’t want to argue anymore.”
I didn’t want to explain.”
Expressionless, I slowly straightened up and pointed to the door.”
“Get out. All of you.”
“This house belongs to the Ward family. Who do you think you are?”
At that moment, my mother–in–law let out a furious shriek. She stormed toward me, grabbing a stool, and before I could react-
CRASH.
Pain exploded in my skull as the stool struck my head. A ringing sound filled my ears, and dizziness took over.
“You ungrateful bastard!” she screamed. “You dare throw us out? You married my daughter–everything you own belongs to her! If anyone should leave, it’s you!”
A warm trickle slid down my forehead. Blood.”
I struggled to stay conscious, pressing a hand against the wound as I stared at them coldly.”
And then I spoke, my voice hoarse but firm.
“My father is watching from heaven, and you have the audacity to bring a mistress’s child into this house? Do you even know what shame is? Are you still human?“\
Sabrina’s face twisted with irritation at my words.”
“Zach, why are you being so petty?” she snapped. “In the end, you just don’t want to spend money. This house, this property–it’s ours. What’s wrong with giving some of it to my children?“\
“Do you really want to force me to take this to court? I can’t just stand by and watch Mickey struggle with three children.” “Look at today–Mickey bought a cake, brought roses for his mother, and spent hours in the kitchen. Why can’t you be more like Mickey? Be more generous, think about the bigger picture.“}
My mother–in–law rolled her eyes and scoffed.
“I told you from the start–he’s not as considerate as Mickey. He doesn’t know how to take care of people. Just look at him now! At least Mickey knows what’s right in front of the children.”
“Mom, enough…” Şabrina muttered.
She turned to me, her tone firm.
“Zach, apologize to the kids. Take them out later, buy them something nice, and let’s just forget what happened today.“” Mickey, sensing Sabrina’s softened stance, gently hugged Mike and said with apparent concern,
“Sabrina, I feel bad for the child too. I was too harsh earlier–I didn’t mean to upset you or my brother. I’ll apologize to Zach later. But Mike is bleeding. We need to take him to the hospital right away.”
At Mickey’s words, Sabrina and my mother–in–law instantly became frantic.
“My darling, does it hurt? Grandma will take you to the hospital right now!“”
“Baby, don’t be afraid. Mom and Dad are here. We’ll get you checked out.“”
And just like that, they hurried outside–some holding hands, others embracing–such a perfect, loving family.”
I watched them disappear into the night, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.”
An hour later, my phone buzzed. A series of 60–second voice messages came in. Sabrina’s irritated voice filled the room. “Zach, I’m not trying to be mean, but look at how you acted today. Couldn’t you have handled things more patiently? He’s just a child–why did you have to hit him? I was trying to do the right thing, but you just don’t understand, do you?“!!
“Mike was scared today. I’m not coming home tonight–I’ll stay with him. I even put in a good word for you. But you can’t act so brutish next time. He was terrified and refused to come back down.“M
I didn’t respond.”
Sabrina must have frowned at my silence because her next message came with a sigh.
12:04
“Fine, fine. You’re hurt too, I won’t say anything more. Go to the cupboard, get the iodine, and disinfect your wound. Honestly, you’re a grown man, yet you sulk with jealousy like this. It’s embarrassing. Why can’t you be as understanding as Mickey?“N
I listened to her words, my expression unreadable. Then, without hesitation, I made two calls.
“Secretary Leah, I want to sell the old house. Find a buyer and have a lawyer draft a divorce agreement.“>
Then another.N
“Lao Wang, I’ve made up my mind–I’m ready to move to New York and take on the new project.“\
Meanwhile, after putting Mike to sleep, Sabrina found herself unable to rest.
Her last message, sent two hours ago, had gone unanswered–vanishing like a stone sinking into the sea.”
A sense of unease crept into her chest as she recalled the look in Zach’s eyes before she left. That desolate, defeated stare.N
Panic set in.
Throwing off the covers, she grabbed her keys and rushed home.”
The entire drive, she kept calling me. But the only response was the same cold, mechanical voice.\
“Sorry, the number you dialed is currently busy.“”
Her heart pounded. Had she pushed too hard? She only wanted Zach to accept the children–was taking legal action really necessary? Had she gone too far?
She just couldn’t understand. Zach was a grown man. Why was he still so petty, so childish? Why take his anger out on a child?
Couldn’t he just treat Mike as his own? If he couldn’t, how could he expect Mike to respect him in the future?
As soon as she reached home, she flung the door open and took a deep breath.
“Zach?”
Silence.
Only an empty echo answered back.
Her chest tightened as she ran upstairs.
She yanked open the closet–only to find the hangers swaying, empty.
Then she looked up.
The wedding photo was gone.
12:04 PM N
