During our holiday visit to my parents’ remote country house, my son, Leo, got a little too carried away with some firecrackers. He tossed one into an old, unused septic tank access, and the resulting explosion somehow managed to damage five luxury cars parked nearby. When I told him he needed to apologize to the owners, he just rolled his eyes, utterly annoyed. “I wish Uncle Julian was my dad! He’s so cool, he’d never make me apologize!” “Uncle Julian” was, of course, my wife Eleanor’s first love, the one who got away. When I called her, Eleanor was at a family gathering with Julian Thorne. Hearing about Leo’s antics, she scoffed. “Marcus Stone, it’s just a few scratched up cars, a few thousand bucks. Is it really that big of a deal? It’s just because you’re broke and useless. Julian said he could handle it, no problem!” I looked at the five million-dollar luxury cars, their fronts utterly mangled, and let out a cold laugh. “Well, then you’d better tell him to come handle it!”
The moment I hung up, Leo puffed out his chest, completely full of himself. “See? We still have to rely on Uncle Julian! If you were as capable as Mom says, none of this would be such a big fuss!” Watching his arrogant, oblivious face, I almost wished I’d never had a son! But then I saw his features, so similar to mine, and a wave of sadness washed over me. When Leo was little, he used to be so sweet and obedient. Our family wasn’t like this back then. Everything changed three years ago, when Eleanor’s first love, Julian Thorne, came back into her life. It was like Eleanor transformed into a completely different person. She started leaving early and coming home late. Every conversation, no matter the topic, somehow circled back to Julian Thorne. And her disdain for me grew by the day. “You’ve been working so hard for years, and you’re still just a manager at your company. Look at Julian Thorne! He started his own business and now he’s a huge CEO!” “I hear he has connections in high places, too. He knows all the important people in the city, can get a word in with anyone. Who are you to compare? No talent, no connections!” I remained silent, never telling Eleanor that it was *because* I chose to be with her, refusing an arranged marriage for a family alliance, that I was relegated to a department manager role. I also never told her that her supposedly brilliant “first love” was mostly hot air, his biggest talent a silver tongue and a knack for exaggeration. But even if I had, she would have just thought I was jealous. Driven by her growing contempt for me, she started taking Leo along to spend more and more time with Julian. Before long, Leo was calling Julian “Uncle Julian” every five minutes, his voice overflowing with a closeness he never showed me. Seeing him about to throw more firecrackers into the septic tank, I reached out, grabbed him, and held him tight. Leo struggled, screaming. “Let go of me! These are new clothes Uncle Julian bought me! If you get them dirty, can you even afford new ones?” Watching him act like that, even the unlucky car owners couldn’t help but shoot me sympathetic glances. I wanted to tell them that Leo used to be a good kid. When he was in second grade, I was working long hours. Every night, no matter how late I got home, I’d find him sitting on a small stool, waiting for me. He’d clutch a small snack from school, worried I’d be hungry. But that picture of a loving father and son shattered with Julian Thorne’s reappearance. Parents are a child’s first teachers. Under Eleanor’s influence, Leo started looking down on me, his own father, and idolizing Julian Thorne instead. Over time, I found myself losing control of him. He loved sweets. I worried about cavities, so I limited his candy intake daily. But he’d just turn around, proudly showing off the ice cream lollipops Julian Thorne bought him. “You won’t buy them for me, but plenty of other people will!” Eventually, he did get cavities, crying in pain all the way to the emergency room. I wanted to use it as a chance to teach him a lesson, but Eleanor beat me to it, immediately putting all the blame on me. “How do you even take care of our son at home? If you’d just made sure he brushed his teeth more often, his cavities wouldn’t be this bad!” Leo, seeing his mother’s reaction, had an excuse. He cried and whined that I, his dad, was always too strict with him. He didn’t know that spoiling a child only harms them in the long run. My strictness was for his own good. Julian Thorne’s endless indulgence and pampering were easy for him – Leo wasn’t his biological son. Of course, he’d be willing to offer a few cheap favors to win affection. As for the consequences of that indulgence? Julian, as the “uncle,” wouldn’t have to bear them. Under Julian’s deliberate spoiling, Leo’s temper became increasingly willful. Whenever I tried to discipline him, he’d treat me like an enemy.
Before long, Leo became the neighborhood terror, a bratty kid everyone detested. Neighbors and teachers were constantly knocking on our door. Just like today: Eleanor took him out to Julian Thorne’s house, then, annoyed that Leo was interrupting their date, she bought him some firecrackers and just let him play by himself. Leo, used to getting away with anything, ignored the warning signs and threw a lit firecracker into the septic tank access! It immediately blew up, damaging five luxury cars parked nearby. I scanned the damaged vehicles: a Mercedes-Benz GLE, a Volvo XC90, a Porsche, a Range Rover, and a BMW i7. Together, they amounted to several million dollars. Yet, Leo and Eleanor remained completely unconcerned, acting like it was nothing. Did they really think Julian Thorne could just make this problem disappear? Even if he sold his entire small company, he wouldn’t be able to scrounge up that much money! As I was trying to figure out how to deal with this, my phone rang. It was Eleanor. “We’re here. Where are you? It’s just a small thing, a few thousand dollars, and you’re making Julian come all this way? Marcus Stone, can’t you ever be useful?” When I arrived at the restaurant Eleanor had mentioned, with Leo in tow, she was adjusting Julian Thorne’s tie. They were laughing and chatting, incredibly intimate. Seeing the ring on Eleanor’s finger, a sharp pang went through my heart. She thought I didn’t know, but I was acutely aware that she hadn’t forgotten her past with Julian Thorne. I knew that in the bottom drawer of her desk, there was an old photo album, and tucked inside it was a picture of her and Julian. In the photo, they were embracing, watching New Year’s Eve fireworks. On her finger, she wore the very same couple’s ring she had on now. I should have known then, the moment I discovered Eleanor had taken off her wedding ring and put on that couple’s ring with Julian Thorne. When Eleanor and I first met, Julian had just broken up with her and moved abroad. Heartbroken, she was listless all day, often making small mistakes at work. One time, when her boss was scolding her, I couldn’t help but step in and defend her. The following Monday, she brought me homemade cookies to thank me. That’s how our story began. I gradually fell for this warm, reserved woman. After learning about her past relationship, I felt even more tenderly towards her. Not long after, she confessed her feelings to me. Looking into her sincere eyes, I went home and resolutely refused the arranged marriage my family had planned, getting into a huge argument with my parents. I knew how deeply she had loved Julian Thorne in the past, so before we made things official, I specifically asked her. “Have you moved on from Julian Thorne?” She paused for a moment, then looked into the distance and quietly said, “He and I are over. He won’t be coming back to the country.” At the time, I only remembered the first half of her sentence, never realizing that Eleanor’s focus was on the latter half. She was with me only because Julian Thorne wasn’t coming back. So, when Julian Thorne reappeared, she returned to his side without hesitation. As I stared blankly at that ring, Leo had already rushed over. “Uncle Julian, I’ve been waiting for you!” Julian Thorne quickly crouched down and picked him up, a big smile on his face. “I just took my eyes off you for a second, and you’re already up to mischief!” Despite his words, there wasn’t a hint of blame in his tone, only pure indulgence. Eleanor chuckled and playfully scolded him, a helpless expression on her face. “You just spoil him rotten!” The three of them looked like the happiest family, a perfect picture of father, mother, and son, making me feel like an out-of-place outsider.
Julian Thorne played with Leo for a while, then suddenly seemed to notice my presence, feigning surprise. “Marcus is here too? Why are you standing there for so long? Come on in and sit down!” Eleanor’s smile faded. She cast a sidelong glance at me, her tone flat. “Always so timid and awkward, he just can’t measure up!” In her mind, I was always a step below Julian Thorne. Leo finally remembered I was there and immediately started complaining to Julian Thorne. “He got your new clothes dirty! Look! And he’s making me apologize to those people!” Julian Thorne, ever the big shot, pulled a wad of hundred-dollar bills from his pocket. “Just a shirt, it’s fine if it’s dirty. Your mom and I will take you to the mall to buy new ones later.” He tucked the cash into Leo’s pocket, then turned to me, a hint of displeasure in his voice. “Marcus, you’re his father. Why aren’t you sticking up for your own son? Why are you making him apologize to strangers?” I watched him put on this phony act, wanting to laugh. For the past few years, he’d been a master of manipulation, subtly and overtly belittling me in front of Eleanor and Leo, regardless of right or wrong. And those two, mother and son, fell for it every time! Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Eleanor frowned and looked at me, annoyed. “It’s just a few damaged cars, how much could it cost? Leo is so young, and you’re making him take responsibility! How did I end up marrying someone so incompetent and useless!” I almost burst out laughing. Shouldn’t he take responsibility for the cars *he* damaged? I was just asking Leo to apologize to the car owners, and already, mother and son were treating me like an enemy. Julian Thorne sighed dramatically, putting on a magnanimous facade as he tried to console Eleanor. “It’s alright, I’ll take care of it. It’s just a bit of money, I won’t let you or the child suffer.” At his words, Eleanor’s gaze softened, fixed on him. I stood to the side, watching their little display of affection, my stomach churning. “You’ll handle it?” I said blandly. “Don’t speak too soon, I’m afraid you might not be able to cover it!” At this, Julian Thorne didn’t say anything, but Eleanor immediately flared up. She slammed her hand on the table, glaring at me. “Marcus Stone, do you think Julian is like you? Pinching pennies over a few thousand dollars? I’m telling you, this little thing will barely take him a few minutes to resolve!” “Yeah, that’s right!” Leo chimed in, eager to stir up trouble. “Uncle Julian is super cool, not like you! I want Uncle Julian to be my dad, not you!” My face darkened at his words. I looked at Leo, my voice dangerously low. “Say that again.” Eleanor couldn’t help but frown. She quietly called Leo by his full name, but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to scold him. Instead, she turned to me. “Why are you yelling at the child? If you weren’t so useless, he wouldn’t say such things!” Watching her fiercely defend him, the last string holding me together finally snapped. She no longer had any feelings for me, so why should I cling to her? Julian Thorne shot me a triumphant look, then pretended to gently console Eleanor. “Oh, Eleanor, don’t say that. If you think Marcus’s position is too low, he can come work for me. I just happen to need an assistant.” Eleanor frowned, sighing. “If only he were half as thoughtful as you. On a holiday, having dinner with your family, and he has to come deal with something like this!”
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