“That's right. Dad supports you.”
He glanced at me, his words pointed：
“Unlike certain people, who act like they fell headfirst into a pile of money. All they ever think about is money, money, money. People like that have no vision. They'll never amount to anything.”
Xander clapped along, cheering：“Mommy's so great! Mommy's a good person!”
“I love Mommy the most!”
One big happy family. All smiles, all together.
And every pair of eyes that turned toward me looked at me like I was the villain who didn't belong.
Staring back at those contemptuous faces, I almost laughed.
All these years, Wendy hadn't contributed a single thing to this household.
Yet somehow she'd become the hero in everyone's eyes. The saint. The good person.
And me? I'd given everything I had, and I was the bad guy.
So why was I still fighting?
I nodded, my voice flat：
“You're right. Donations shouldn't be half-hearted. I hope she keeps it up.”
Seeing me finally come around, Wendy looked pleased：
“You've finally come to your senses.”
“What I'm doing is a noble thing. As my husband, you should be supporting me. If there's not enough money at home, then work harder. Pick up more overtime. And if that's still not enough, get a second job.”
Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt nodded right along：
“Exactly. Instead of pointing fingers, look at yourself first. Having a wife like Wendy is a privilege.”
“Stop being lazy and eyeing her money all the time.”
I smiled faintly, said nothing more, and quietly pulled out my phone.
Three days ago, Brent Lawrence had sent me a message：
“Otto, the company has a six-month closed training program at HQ.”
“Spots are extremely rare. Once you finish, you come back as a director. Salary multiplied several times over.”
“The higher-ups all agree you've been putting in incredible work these past few years. You're the perfect fit. Think it over?”
My reply at the time had been：
“Brent, my in-laws aren't in good health, my kid's still young, and the family can't function without me. I probably can't go.”
It wasn't that I didn't want to go. I just couldn't let go of this family.
The program was completely closed off. For six months, no going home, no phone, no contact with anyone outside.
Six months with no one earning money. Who would buy my father-in-law's medication? Who would take my mother-in-law to her checkups? Who would pay Xander's tuition? Who would cover the mortgage?
Brent had pushed back, telling me：
“Don't turn it down yet. This opportunity is the real deal. Give it some serious thought.”
Looking back now, I'd been a fool.
I'd nearly thrown away the chance of a lifetime for people who didn't even consider me family.
I took a deep breath and typed out a few words：
“Brent, I'm in. When do I leave?”
Brent replied almost instantly：
“That's what I've been waiting to hear!”
“You leave tomorrow. Just get your paperwork submitted tonight.”
I sent back a “Got it” and scrambled to get everything together, submitting it all within the hour.
Brent moved fast too, booking me a flight for the next morning.
The next day, I was awake before dawn.
Wendy and her parents were still asleep. I packed a bag, slipped out of the house, and caught a cab to the airport alone.
By the time the plane touched down, it was already afternoon.
The moment I powered on my phone, it exploded with missed calls and messages from Wendy：
“Otto, where are you?”
“My parents are out of medication. Get it to them now. They're in bad shape.”
“Also, the kindergarten just called. Xander's tuition is past the final deadline. If it's not paid today, he's getting expelled!”
