It was the tenth year of fulfilling the engagement for my brother who had run away from his marriage, just because I sat in his favorite chair.
The son he left behind pushed me down from a three-story building.
My spine was broken and I was covered in blood as I begged him to call for help.
But he mocked me just like his mother.
"You're not worthy of using my dad's stuffs. I tell you, you can never replace him!"
"And you want someone to save you? I'm going to watch you become a cripple and have my mom kick you out of the house!"
I looked in disbelief at my brother's son whom I had taken care of since he was still a baby.
My heart hurt like it was being torn apart.
After being sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, I made a phone call abroad.
"Mr. Zemei, I am willing to go abroad."
——
As soon as I finished the call, Michele and my parents walked in with Juan, who looked disgruntled.
Juan stared at me fiercely and said, "Why should I apologize to this shameless guy?"
"He's the one who sat on my dad's chair. I just called him and he fell down the stairs in shock."
"He didn't even bleed, I thought he was just acting to trick me again."
The more he spoke, the more unpleasant and harsh, but the people around him did not try to stop him.
He looked at me with a reproachful and cold expression on his face.
But I did not argue like I did before, I just gazed out the window in a daze.
Michele rebuked. "Liam, your son is talking to you, but you're not even looking at him. Is there a dad like you?"
I sneered and responded, "Whose son? Seeing his dad injured, he didn't even show concern, but kept cursing."
Michele's dissatisfaction deepened. "That's because you're not good enough to Juan and you're often pretending to be pitiful and deceive him."
Not good enough?
Juan Collins was born with congenital deficiencies and was often sick, so I took care of him day and night.
I learned acupuncture and massage treatment and I mastered making healthy soups and foods.
The slender fingers playing the piano become rough and swollen.
Whenever he said he felt insecure, I stayed by his side for three days and three nights without sleeping.
Unfortunately, Michele could not see any of these and neither could Juan.
She was still lecturing me. "Liam, as you entered the Schneiders, I only had one request for you, which was to take good care of Juan. Is that difficult?"
"If you can't do it well, I will ...."
"Get divorced, if you want to, I don't want to be your husband anymore."
She stared at me in surprise, as if she did not expect me to say such a thing.
Yes, after all, our marriage was arranged by the Collins Family.
After my brother, Leonard Collins, fulfilled his engagement and married Michele Schneider, his first love returned to Chronopolis.
He disappeared without a trace after Michele gave birth to their son.
The Schneider Family was furious, so my parents tricked me back home while I was studying for a PhD abroad.
They drugged me and sent me to my brother's wife's bed.
The situation became chaos and coupled with Juan's desperate need for nourishment, she had no choice but to marry me.
We agreed on a time limit, which was only ten years. When Juan grew up, she would divorce me.
But every time we argue, she threatened me with divorce.
If that was the case, then let's get a divorce.
However, my parents blew the pot first.
"Liam, what are you talking about? How can you get a divorce? If you leave, who will take care of Juan?"
Their disappointed faces were the same as when I refused to give up my marriage to Leonard.
When the marriage arrangement with the Schneider Family was first made, my mother was pregnant with me, so I was the one who was supposed to marry a girl from the Schneider Family.
But later on, Leonard was heartbroken because his first love left him and he wanted to get married for no reason.
With just one sentence, my parents asked me to give up the marriage.
Seeing me not saying anything, my parents spoke up.
