Just because my son poured a glass of cold water for the coughing bodyguard, my wife immediately declared he was trying to hurt someone: “Don’t you know cold water makes a cough worse? You’re so young and already trying to harm people. What will you become when you grow up?” My wife grounded Leo and locked him in his room for 24 hours, saying she needed to teach him a lesson. I begged her desperately, explaining that our son had a high fever and urgently needed medical attention. I told her to punish me instead. But Quinn scoffed dismissively: “You’ve spoiled him rotten, letting him run wild. And now he’s faking illness to escape punishment? He needs to be locked up for two more days to learn some discipline.” She was afraid I’d cause trouble, so she locked me in a different room. I slammed myself against the door, not caring about the consequences, but it was too late. Leo died right there, his high fever untreatable. Three days later, as I was packing up Leo’s belongings, Quinn returned from a trip with the bodyguard. She was in a cheerful mood, plucking a single rose from the massive bouquet of 999 roses she’d received from him and handing it to me: “Stop acting. So what if he was grounded for a few days? What could possibly happen? At worst, I’ll take you two on a trip in a couple of days and cheer him up.” But she had no idea our son was dead. And I knew, then and there, that I couldn’t spend another day of my life with her.
Before, if she’d given me a flower, I’d have been too excited to sleep. But now, clutching Leo’s tiny clothes, my heart was torn to shreds, numb from the pain. Her raised arm must have gotten tired because she angrily flung the flower at my face: “I only brought Declan with me for protection. Nothing happened between us. Who are you putting on this face for?” A thorn from the stem left a small cut on my cheek, a thin line of blood welled up. A flicker of concern flashed in Quinn’s eyes, and her temper softened slightly: “Whatever, I’m not going to waste my breath on you. Just so you know, I’m going away on a business trip for a year. You manage our son, don’t cause any trouble, I…” As she spoke, she suddenly gagged. Declan immediately rushed to pat Quinn’s back, feigning carelessness and letting a pregnancy test slip fall from his pocket. I picked it up. It read: four weeks pregnant. No wonder. Before, her trips with Declan would last for months. This time, she barely left before coming back. So, she was pregnant. She said she was going on a year-long business trip, but she was clearly trying to escape and secretly give birth to this child. My poor Leo. To try and please Quinn, he saw Declan, the one Quinn pampered the most, coughing. So, he copied what his teacher taught him and poured Declan a glass of water. But because it was cold water, Quinn decided he was being malicious, trying to harm Declan. Even though he was burning with fever, she ignored my desperate pleas and locked him in his room. I fought with all my strength to break free from the bodyguards’ grasp, slamming myself against the door to save him, not caring if it killed me. My tiny son was hot as a furnace, but his last flicker of consciousness was still shaking his head: “No, Daddy. Mommy said three days. The time isn’t up yet. Mommy will hate Leo if she knows.” They say real men don’t cry easily, but that day, I couldn’t control myself. Tears streamed down my face: “No, we don’t need this mommy anymore, Leo. I’ll take you to the hospital…” Tragically, it was too late. He couldn’t be saved. Before he took his last breath, he clutched my sleeve and choked out, “Why didn’t Mommy come see Leo? Was Leo a bad boy?” Looking into his hopeful eyes, my throat was raw. I couldn’t utter a single word. Now, seeing this pregnancy test, I only felt a bitter irony. If Leo had known that the mommy he adored had poured all her energy into another child, how heartbroken would he have been? I couldn’t control my rage any longer. I flung the pregnancy test slip in front of Quinn: “Quinn, this is what you call ‘nothing happened’? Have you ever considered how Leo felt?” A flicker of shock crossed Declan’s face. He hadn’t expected me, who usually endured every injustice in silence, to actually resist. He quickly lowered his head and explained to Quinn: “I’m so sorry, Quinn. I was just so overjoyed about being a dad that I kept the pregnancy slip in my pocket. I didn’t mean to drop it, and I certainly didn’t expect Caleb to see it. Please punish me.” Quinn raised an eyebrow and soothed Declan: “It wasn’t intentional. Don’t overthink it.” Then, she glared at me: “You have the nerve to bring up the child? Aren’t you the one who caused all of this?” “Caleb, everything happening today is your just desserts.” My gaze darkened. Years ago, Quinn wanted to use IVF to have a child for her idealized first love, Julian, who was supposedly dying of cancer. It turned out Julian was faking a terminal illness and then absconded with the charity funds. Her Grandma Evelyn, fearing Quinn would lose her mind, asked me to tamper with the IVF procedure. I refused point-blank. Though Quinn and I had a marriage certificate, we’d signed a contract long ago. We were only a marriage of convenience, not allowed to interfere with each other’s private lives. But Grandma Evelyn knelt before me, pulling out records of all the tuition fees she’d paid for me, from elementary school to my PhD, begging for my help: “My son and daughter-in-law are gone. Quinn is my only grandchild. If anything happens to her, I won’t want to live either.” Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I couldn’t refuse. I had no choice but to do as she asked. Quinn gave birth to my son, believing he was Julian’s orphaned heir, and cared for him meticulously. For a while, seeing how good I was with Leo, her attitude toward me improved significantly. She even suggested canceling our contract and genuinely building a life together. Then Declan appeared. She became completely infatuated with Declan’s face and mannerisms, which were ninety percent similar to Julian’s. She started spending nights out. She thought I didn’t know. At first, she met him in secret. Later, she even arranged for him to be her personal bodyguard, always by her side. But life was relatively stable, so I turned a blind eye. When Quinn eventually learned the truth and decided to send Declan away, he threw out a paternity test, accusing me: “Caleb used your trust to tamper with the IVF procedure, ensuring the man you love would have no descendants. And you, Quinn, you’re so foolish, enduring and sacrificing for him? You’re a complete joke!” Quinn flew into a rage on the spot. From that day on, her attitude toward Leo and me completely reversed. It was constant abuse, harshness, and punishment. I could suffer, but I never imagined Leo would lose his life because of it. Now, facing Quinn’s accusations, I couldn’t help but want to reveal the truth: “Quinn, about what happened back then…”
Just as I was about to speak, my phone vibrated. Grandma Evelyn’s name flashed on the screen. I looked up and saw the security camera in the living room blinking with a red light. I forced a bitter smile. Grandma Evelyn had been monitoring me. She would never allow me to reveal the truth. “Caleb, if you’ve got Leo’s clothes packed, come over. He’s waiting.” Grandma Evelyn’s voice was kind, yet a chill ran down my spine. I nodded and hung up. Quinn watched me suddenly pack my things without a word, raising an eyebrow: “What about what happened back then? Don’t tell me you’re going to say you had a reason too?” A flicker of anxiety crossed Declan’s eyes. He quickly interjected: “Quinn, no man can accept his wife having a child with someone else. You should consider his dignity as a man.” Quinn exploded in anger. She snatched a glass from the table and hurled it at me: “A good-for-nothing parasite living off my family, and he has the nerve to talk about dignity?” I didn’t say a word. As the glass shattered, I walked out of that suffocating house and headed to Grandma Evelyn’s old estate. The moment I arrived, Grandma Evelyn pressed a bank card into my hand: “Caleb, you and Leo have suffered so much. Take this money.” I knelt before her: “I don’t want money. I just have one request.” Grandma Evelyn quickly helped me to my feet: “If you want to leave, I’ll allow it. You’ve endured so many years of hardship. The favor I did for you back then has long been repaid. You don’t owe me anything.” I looked at Leo’s lifeless body, my eyes reddening: “Besides that, I want to take Leo with me, change his last name, and bury him in our family plot back home.” Grandma Evelyn hesitated. After all, I had married into Quinn’s family, and Leo not only bore Quinn’s family name but was also entered into their family tree. Knowing she wouldn’t easily agree, I handed her the crumpled pregnancy test slip: “Quinn is pregnant. She’ll have other children. But Leo only has me as family.” Grandma Evelyn remembered what Quinn had done to Leo. Unable to bear it any longer, she finally nodded in agreement. After handling Leo’s funeral, I cradled his ashes and returned home to get my documents. *Click!* The lights flickered on. Quinn was sitting in the living room, waiting for me, while Declan stood beside her with a smug, almost triumphant look. The atmosphere was eerily tense. Quinn was the first to break the silence, angrily declaring: “Look at what your son has done.” I raised an eyebrow, confused. Leo was dead. What could he possibly have done? Declan slowly patted Quinn’s back: “Calm down, honey. Don’t upset the baby.” “Leo added peanuts, which you’re allergic to, to your nutritious meal. He was just jealous of his unborn brother and wanted to harm him. It’s our fault, we didn’t discuss having a second child with him. He’s young, he doesn’t know any better. You shouldn’t be mad at him.” Quinn was furious: “It seems the last punishment was too light. He hasn’t learned his lesson.” He was just a three-year-old. How could he know anything about that? Besides, he was already dead… “Leo didn’t do it.” He was such a good, considerate boy. Until his last breath, he regretted pouring cold water and making Quinn angry. But Quinn believed someone else’s malicious lies and wanted to punish him. Ultimately, Quinn had transferred all her hatred for me onto our son. I’m so sorry, Leo. Mommy hated you because of me. You didn’t do anything wrong. I hugged the urn tightly, fighting back tears. Declan sighed: “If he didn’t do it, then did you?” Quinn became even more enraged, grabbing a tissue box from the table and throwing it at me: “It’s because you always cover for him that he became so unruly at such a young age! He needs a lesson today, to learn some discipline.” “Hand Leo over right now, don’t make me punish you instead.” He was so small. How could he possibly take the blame for such a serious accusation? I couldn’t take it anymore. Holding up the urn, I yelled: “Quinn, Leo was locked in his room and died from a high fever because of you!” “His ashes are right here! How could he possibly harm you?”
Quinn shot to her feet. “What did you say?” She rose too quickly, nearly stumbling. Declan quickly steadied her, his voice full of exasperation: “Quinn, he’s lied to you before. How can you still believe him?” “This afternoon, I clearly saw Leo wandering around the kitchen with a bag of peanuts, and then Grandma Evelyn picked him up.” Quinn immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled out her phone and video-called Grandma Evelyn: “Grandma, is Leo with you?” Leo was dead. She would soon realize how terrible her actions had been. On the other end of the line, Grandma Evelyn smiled warmly: “Yes, he’s with me.” “Leo, do you want to talk to Mommy?” I lunged forward. And then, on the screen, I saw a child, crouched among a pile of toys, shaking his head, burying himself in his play. Grandma Evelyn sternly chided Quinn: “It’s all your fault for being so harsh on Leo. Now he doesn’t even want to talk to you.” My face turned ashen. I almost forgot. Quinn’s Grandma Evelyn had the most authoritative high-tech team in the world. Years ago, even before AI was prevalent, she’d used AI in a video call to let me assume Julian’s face, allowing Quinn to say her final goodbyes to him. Now, she was using someone else’s child to impersonate Leo, just to keep Quinn at ease. In this house, Leo and I were nothing more than tools, completely insignificant. It’s okay, Leo. Even if the whole world doesn’t love you, Daddy will always love you. I stroked the urn, speechless with grief. Quinn’s face darkened. She hung up the phone and snapped: “Caleb, you dared to lie to me again!” “Fine, your son is with Grandma Evelyn, so I can’t punish him. Then I’ll punish you.” “Declan, smash that useless thing in his hands.” I fought desperately to stop them, but I was no match for several bodyguards who quickly overpowered me. Seeing Declan raise the urn high, I fell to my knees, pleading: “Quinn, I beg you, give Leo back to me.” “I’ll do anything you want, please!” Quinn’s heart twisted in her chest. Just at the crucial moment, she suddenly called out, stopping Declan, and waved her hand: “Forget it. It’s just a broken box, no fun smashing it. Give it back to him.” Declan, looking disappointed, practically threw the urn back at me. I lunged forward, catching the box securely. With Leo back in my arms, I clutched the urn tightly, a mix of relief and despair washing over me. Declan sighed: “Quinn, you’re truly too kind.” “It’s okay. I’ll keep a closer eye on things from now on. After all, protecting you and the baby is my job.” Quinn’s hand went to her stomach. She suddenly called out to me as I was about to leave: “Wait. I said I wouldn’t punish Leo, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t punish you.” “Since you love taking the blame for your son so much, you can experience what an allergic reaction feels like.” “Order ten thousand lobsters for him. He’s not allowed to leave until he’s shelled every single one.” She knew I had a severe lobster allergy; even touching it would make me break out in hives. Even when our relationship was at its worst, she never allowed a single lobster on the table. Now, she must be completely insane with rage. I clutched the urn tightly. Looking at the enormous basin of lobsters before me, my eyes stung. The moment I picked up the first one to shell, my fingers began to turn red from the allergic reaction. Quinn turned her face away, standing with her back to me: “I’m tired. I’m going to rest. Don’t even think about slacking off. I’ll have someone watch you.” Declan helped her to the room. Facing the row of muscular bodyguards, I didn’t resist. I numbly continued shelling lobsters. As time passed, my entire body became covered in red hives, and my breathing grew increasingly difficult. In a haze, a pair of gleaming leather shoes appeared before my eyes. Declan grabbed my chin, his voice cold: “Just shelling lobsters is too light a punishment. You’re allergic, right? Then eat them.” He grabbed lobster meat and tried to force it into my mouth. With one quick move, I easily pushed him away. With his weak physique, he was no match for me. His only reason for being a bodyguard was Quinn’s longing for Julian. Seeing my resistance, Declan’s anger flared: “If you struggle again, I swear I’ll smash your son’s ashes.” I glared at him. He knew. He’d been deliberately trying to provoke me earlier! Declan saw me compromise and viciously shoved a handful of lobster meat into my mouth. For Leo, I didn’t dare to resist. Just at that critical moment, Grandma Evelyn appeared behind me, tapping her cane. She angrily confronted Declan: “You dare bully my family’s son-in-law? Get out.” Declan looked like he wanted to say more but eventually left, defeated. Grandma Evelyn dismissed all the outsiders. Ignoring the grease on my hands, she helped me up: “Caleb, stop shelling. You’re severely allergic now. I’ll take you to the hospital first, then help you leave.” I nodded, wiping the grease off myself before picking up the urn. A flicker of shame crossed Grandma Evelyn’s eyes. She explained: “Quinn is pregnant. Her emotions can’t be too volatile. I thought I’d wait until she’s more stable to tell her about Leo’s death.” “You and Leo have suffered so much again, Caleb. You *must* take this money.” As she spoke, she pushed two more cards toward me. I shook my head: “No, thank you. You’ve given me more than enough. I just want to leave peacefully with Leo.” Grandma Evelyn pressed the cards into my hand with more force, hinting: “Take it. Years ago, when Quinn’s first love ran off with her money, I forced you to switch the IVF samples, to make Quinn pregnant with your child.” “But I never imagined that my decision, the decision of this old woman, would lead to poor Leo’s death.” “I regret it deeply. I shouldn’t have forced you back then.” “This money isn’t much, but it’s my apology. I hope you’ll accept it.” “And please don’t blame this old woman. Quinn is my son’s only daughter, after all. She is my life.” She seemed to be pleading, but in reality, she was threatening me. If I didn’t take this hush money, I wouldn’t be leaving with Leo today. “Then, thank you, Grandma Evelyn.” I had no choice. Just as I was about to take the cards, *Crash!* A glass shattered. Quinn, in her pajamas, stood frozen in the doorway.
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