"I don’t want a bad man as my dad! I want my real dad!"
When Colin started crying, the younger children immediately followed.
The scene instantly turned chaotic and filled with the piercing cries of children.
My in-laws scrambled to calm the children. They tried frantically to move from one kid to another.
"Don’t cry, sweethearts. That bad man won’t be your daddy. Grandpa and Grandma promise!"
The eldest, Robert, shot me a defiant look before pretending to be upset and said, "Grandpa, Grandma … but you can't make the final decision."
Robert sniffled and squeezed out a few crocodile tears. "I heard people say that all these years, Daddy hasn’t been able to officially become the head of the Jameson Family because Mommy wouldn’t allow it."
My in-laws froze as if suddenly realized something then turned to glare at Clara and yelled, "Clara! Say something! I'm warning you, if my precious grandson cries himself hoarse, I’ll make you pay for it!"
Clara hesitated and locked eyes with me for a brief moment before sighing as if making a difficult decision.
After a pause, she finally spoke, "Stop crying. Mommy will give you the answer you want. A real man doesn’t cry so easily. You have to set a good example for your younger siblings."
Her words were like a magic spell that instantly silenced the children.
The only one left overwhelmed with emotion was Marvin. His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he said, "Clara … do you mean it? I'm not dreaming, am I?”
Clara automatically glanced at me again but said nothing.
Suddenly, Colin charged at me with a clenched fist while screaming, "I'm going to beat up the bad man to death! How dare you try to steal my mommy! I’ll kill you!"
He wasn’t even nine years old yet, but the boy weighed a solid ninety kilos.
Instinctively, I stepped aside.
He stumbled forward and crashed headfirst into the wall. Blood gushed from his nose and he immediately burst into earth-shattering sobs.
"My baby!"
Marvin let out a sharp cry before he turned on me, his face twisted in anger. "Mr. Stevenson, I know you must feel uncomfortable that I replaced you by Clara side, that I had children with her. However, if you have a problem, take it out on me! Colin is just a child! How could you take it out on him?"
For a moment, I was dumbfounded.
When I was about to speak, Clara slapped me hard with a resounding crack and said, “I thought you just needed time to adjust after getting out of prison but to think you’d actually lay a hand on a child!”
Clara had hit me with full force, her face was dark and stormy, her eyes were brimming with contempt.
Her voice was cold as ice when she talked again, "Let me make something clear to you. Robert and his siblings are the future of the Jameson Family. They are the true masters of this house. As for you? You’re just a useless man who still needs me to support your parents. What right do you have to lay a finger on them?"
Her six-year-old daughter, Ann Jameson, waddled over, sniffing back her tears as she hugged Clara’s leg. "Mommy, don’t be mad. Ann will help you beat the bad man."
She raised her tiny fists as she put on a show of bravado.
Clara cooped her up and planted a kiss on her cheek. "My little princess, fighting is beneath you. A real princess doesn’t get her hands dirty.
With that, she gestured to Marvin to take the children away. Their family of eight walked out together. They were a perfect picture of unity.
My in-laws hurried after them, but not before spat at me. "You're disgusting! You don’t even deserve to be scolded, you worthless piece of trash!"
As soon as they left, my parents' faces darkened and they scolded, "You just had to ruin a perfectly good wedding! You should’ve rotted in prison for the rest of your life instead of coming out to bring us shame!"
My brother was even more furious as if I had personally destroyed his wedding. He rolled up his sleeves and started throwing punches and kicks at me as he growled, "You piece of trash! Why don’t you just go die?"
As he shouted, he grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door.
Back in prison, I had suffered a serious injury that left my arm weak. So, the more I struggled, the worse the pain became.
Hearing the commotion, Clara and the others stopped in their tracks. The children clapped their hands in excitement.
"Daddy, look! The bad man got beaten up!"
"Uncle is amazing! He’s a hero!"
My in-laws chimed in and encouraged the children's sneer. "That’s right, babies! You’re so smart! You know the difference between heroes and villains!"
My head throbbed from the beating, my body ached all over and everyone around me watched as if it were some kind of entertainment.
Clara’s cold gaze was the sharpest knife, that stabbed deep into my already bleeding heart.
My brother showed no signs of stopping. As I curled up on the floor, I shut my eyes in despair while hatred surged inside of me like a tidal wave.
Just then, the front doors swung open.
A familiar, commanding voice echoed loudly through the room, "Who the hell gave you the guts to lay a hand on him?"
