8
My dad pinched his aching temples, which had been bothered by all the noise. “William, since you two have reached the point of discussing marriage, hasn’t he told you? He’s a child I adopted.”
He looked somewhat irritated but still tried to maintain a calm tone, “All these years, I can say I’ve done right by you. But your ambition is too
great.”
Chloe was thunderstruck the moment my dad spoke. She never dreamed that her white knight, her rich second–generation husband, wasn’t my parents‘ biological child. Her using the child in her belly as a threat just now was truly laughable. If even the son wasn’t biological, what did a grandchild matter?
She collapsed on the ground, no longer having the energy to argue with me. She had boasted to everyone, and now her dream of being a wealthy family’s wife had completely burst.
6:16 PM
<
My brother, however, became anxious. For so many years, our family had kept silent about his background, treating him as our own.
But today, my dad openly spoke about this matter. It seems he was truly hurt.
“Dad, I, I really didn’t… I’ve worked diligently for the company for so many years. Dad, you have to believe me.” My brother was on the verge of tears, but his words weren’t very convincing.
My dad, having heard Chloe’s voice message that day, had secretly investigated my brother and discovered his embezzlement and secret transfer of funds with the finance department in the branch company. He naturally wouldn’t believe just one side of the story. He hadn’t expected this son he raised with his own hands to be so disappointing.
My dad still coldly told him, “Go deal with your own affairs first. The company doesn’t need you to worry about it for now.”
My brother’s face instantly turned ashen with fear. In his panic, he knelt down and hugged my dad’s legs. “Dad, give me one more chance. I was wrong, I really know I was wrong.”
But my dad is a decisive person. Once he’s made up his mind, even if it means completely destroying the father–son relationship.
“Don’t call me dad anymore. I’ve raised you on behalf of your father until now. You’ve graduated, and now you’re about to start a family. I’ve done my duty.” How could my dad not be heartbroken? The effort, money, and emotions he invested were no less than my mom’s. And such cultivation had raised a wolf for the family.
My dad looked down and peeled off those hands tightly hugging him.
“Move out. Don’t stay here and annoy me.”
My brother turned to look pleadingly at my mom. In our family, my mom had always doted on him the most. But this time, my mom was unwilling to speak up for him.
The next day, my brother was kicked out of our family.
His and Chloe’s things were packed up neatly. The clothes and jewelry my mom had bought weren’t given to her to take away.
Chloe couldn’t accept it. Knowing she no longer had the right to make a scene with this identity, she could only softly protest, “These were given to me by Mrs. Sanders at the time. How can the Sanders family go back on their word?”
Mrs. Wilson, while sorting through the items, looked at Chloe as if she were an idiot. “What Mrs. Sanders gave was for the Sanders family’s daughter–in–law, not just anyone. Since you’re no longer part of our family now, naturally, things belonging to our family can’t be taken away.”
Mrs. Wilson had suffered no small amount of bullying from her. Finally getting to kick her out, she felt quite satisfied.
That evening, my dad called a press conference, announcing that William no longer had any connection with our family.
After all, considering the years of affection, my dad didn’t make all of his misdeeds public. He still left him some dignity.
To prevent them from causing trouble in the future, my parents, at my reminder, went to get legal certification.
William was initially unwilling to cooperate, thinking that as long as he was legally the Sanders family’s son, he still had a chance to return to the Sanders family.
My dad only said one sentence, “I know all about your dealings with the finance department. If you don’t want to go to jail, be more dignified.” Stripping away the identity of a family member wasn’t too complicated. The whole process was completed smoothly. At the moment of parting, my mom still couldn’t help but shed tears. My dad only said to William, “Take care of yourself:
After more than a decade as family, we finally parted ways.
