Before my mother passed away, she had wished for a grandchild. However, my wife, who disliked children, refused to have one. But when her beloved “Adeline” fell gravely ill and wanted a child to carry on his lineage, she changed her mind and decided to have a baby for him. My father-in-law was worried I might cause trouble. So, while I was volunteering in a remote countryside, he bribed a female student to falsely accuse me of misconduct. I was imprisoned and only cleared of the charges a year later. On the day my wife gave birth, my mother-in-law held her hand and reassured her: “Fiona, don’t worry. Your dad and Asher are just outside the delivery room. They won’t let him cause any trouble.” Even when the baby cried, I never appeared. My wife was pleased, thinking I had finally learned my lesson and wouldn’t make a fuss over Adeline anymore. She never understood—it’s just about leaving a child for Adeline—why couldn’t I just empathize with her? She thought generously that if I visited her in the hospital the next day, she might consider letting me be the child’s nominal father. But she didn’t know, I was completely disheartened. In ten days, I would be leaving as a volunteer teacher in a conflict zone, never intending to see her again in this life.
The day I filled out the volunteer teacher registration form was the very day Fiona Lin was discharged from the hospital. Bringing home my resignation paperwork, I witnessed their family of five in the living room, basking in joy. Fiona Lin was wearing a maternity dress, happily nestled in Asher Young’s arms. My mother-in-law fondly kissed the baby’s cheek: “Look, this child’s eyes are like Fiona’s, but the features resemble Asher. He’ll surely grow up to be a handsome young man.” My father-in-law beamed, smiling: “Yes, this child is destined for greatness. Luckily, he’s Asher’s child. If he were Ethan Quinn’s, he might have a hard life!” Hearing this, I couldn’t help but mock myself. There was a time when my father-in-law was proud of me being a teacher. During family visits, he often boasted about me. But now, everything changed. I became the target of his disdain, labeled as having a “hard life.” How ridiculous. Three years ago, when I volunteered to teach in a remote countryside, Fiona Lin, teary-eyed, said she was proud of me and would wait at home for my return. My in-laws were equally moved, praising me: “Ethan, you are the pride of Mom and Dad. We will wait for you to come back with Fiona!” When I first went, I struggled with the harsh conditions and climate, falling sick frequently, and nearly dying due to a lack of medication. But I pushed through, driven by the desire to return to my family. Until the third year of my teaching, a friend told me my wife was pregnant. “Ethan? Why didn’t you say you were coming back?” Asher Young spoke as if he were the head of the house, naturally blaming me. Fiona Lin and my in-laws turned to look at me. My father-in-law frowned, seeing my resignation papers, and reproached: “Fiona just gave birth and needs to recuperate. Raising a child requires money. You just got reinstated as a teacher, and you dare to quit?!” “Prison must have fried your brain! I must have been blind to let my daughter marry you!” Fiona Lin was also impatient, speaking coldly: “Ethan, you spent a year in jail, and the family is barely getting by! What about the child now that you don’t have a job?” Hearing this, I sneered: “Is this child mine? What does it have to do with me?” Fiona Lin’s face darkened, glaring at me: “Just because the child isn’t biologically yours, you won’t raise it? Ethan, you’re so selfish!” “Three years ago, I had a car accident. If not for Asher, I would’ve died! He has liver cancer now and is dying soon. I just wanted to give him a child to continue his bloodline. Are you really so petty and jealous?” Hearing this, mockery flashed in Asher Young’s eyes, but he feigned pitifully: “Ethan, the child will call you dad from a young age. Won’t it become your child when it grows up?” “If you’re upset because of me, I can leave. After all, I’m about to die. Just take care of my loved ones and child.” He said he would leave, but didn’t move an inch. Fiona Lin immediately held him back, her eyes full of pain: “Asher, where can you go? You don’t have much time left.” Not much time left? Diagnosed with liver cancer a year ago, yet still lively now. Is this what they call not having much time? It’s just an excuse from Fiona Lin! Fiona Lin looked at me coldly, speaking impatiently: “Ethan, if you behave and don’t cause trouble, you’ll still have a place in this family!” “In ten days, it’s the child’s one-month birthday banquet. Attend as the child’s father to avoid gossiping about our family, understand?!” Ten days from now is when I leave for overseas. Since that’s the case, I’ll give them a big gift before I go! I said nothing, turned, and went to my room.
I packed my luggage, but outside, endless laughter continued. “Asher, rest assured, I promise Ethan will only ever be the nominal father to the child. I won’t hide this from the child.” “The child will take the surname Young, not Quinn.” Hearing this, it felt like shards of glass tore through my heart, causing sharp pain. I remembered a year ago, during the New Year, when I filed a report to return from the mountains. Opening the door, I saw Asher Young. He frowned, asking who I was and who I was looking for in his house. As confusion about whether I had entered the wrong house set in, Fiona Lin walked out with a pregnant belly. Seeing me, her eyes showed no joy, only panic and helplessness. “Honey, aren’t you teaching in the mountains? Why did you suddenly come back?” Hearing this, Asher Young showed no panic but greeted me as if he were the host. “Ethan, I planned to hide it from you, but since you’re back, there’s no point.” “Let me introduce myself. I’m the biological father of the child in your wife’s belly…” He smiled as he spoke, but I couldn’t hear the rest. What did he say? Fiona Lin is pregnant with his child! Before my mother died, she longed for a grandchild. Fiona Lin coldly refused, citing her dislike for children. But now, she had an affair and conceived for this man! I lost my mind, tackling Asher Young, punching him repeatedly, venting my grievance and rage! At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to kill this shameless pair! Fiona Lin screamed, but with her pregnant belly, she dared not approach, so she called the police. The arriving officers restrained me. After understanding the situation, they awkwardly said it was a domestic issue for us to resolve. My in-laws rushed over, urging the police to arrest me for “disturbing the peace” to “cool me down.” They took Asher to the hospital with care, while the police took me away, leaving me with no home to return to, locked in a cold cell for seven days. I realized that this home no longer had a place for me. Everything about me was replaced by another. My DINK wife bore a child for him. My in-laws treated him as the perfect son-in-law. And I was nothing more than an obsolete object. Seven days later, Fiona Lin came reluctantly with her pregnant belly to pick me up. “Ethan, can you stop causing trouble? Asher is not in good health and is about to die. I just want to leave him a child before he goes.” “He’s willing to let his child call you dad, why can’t you learn from him and be more magnanimous?” Hearing this, I buried my head in darkness, my voice slightly hoarse: “Then why didn’t you want to have a child with me when my mother died?” Fiona Lin fell silent, but I already knew the answer. In that moment, I felt like a joke. I left the police station and didn’t follow Fiona Lin. After all, that was no longer my home. However, at that moment, the internet was flooded with news that my female student falsely accused me of defiling her, even producing surveillance of me leaving her house at night, but I was merely tutoring her out of kindness. Yet, no matter how I explained, it was all in vain. Everyone condemned me, the police took me, my in-laws cursed me, Fiona Lin said I was unfit to be her husband. I was jailed for a year, carrying a notorious reputation. It wasn’t until my lawyer found evidence proving the female student lied that I was exonerated, cleared of infamy, and reinstated. Fiona Lin walked in. “Ethan, at least you’re sensible. Pack up and sleep in the study. Asher and I still need to take care of the child at night.” “Asher… doesn’t have long to live. You don’t need to be jealous of a dying man. I just want him to be happy in his final days…” Fiona Lin wanted to explain more, but I didn’t want to listen. An affair is an affair. With a cold face, I took my luggage to the study. It was late; I’d find a hotel tomorrow. But just as I was about to fall asleep, indecent sounds came from the master bedroom next door. “Asher… a bit gentler, the house isn’t soundproof.” “Isn’t that better?” “Asher… he doesn’t have much time left. You don’t need to be upset over someone who’s dying. I just want him to enjoy his last days…” Fiona Lin tried to explain further, but I didn’t want to hear it. Cheating is cheating. With a cold expression, I took my luggage to the study. It was too late to find a hotel tonight; I would look for one tomorrow. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, inappropriate noises came from the master bedroom next door. “Asher… take it easy, the walls aren’t soundproof.” “Isn’t it more exciting that way?” “You’re incorrigible… I meant don’t wake the child.” So much for their happiness. Holding my wife and making sure I could hear everything—could they flaunt their joy any more? Fiona Lin, you truly are heartless.
The next day, before dawn, I took my luggage to the education bureau to finalize the paperwork. Unexpectedly, a staff member exclaimed: “Are you Teacher Ethan? It’s me, Peach! Are you… heading abroad to volunteer teach?” It turned out to be a former student who had joined the education bureau. We chatted, exchanged contact information, and I left after completing the paperwork. At the mall and supermarket, I was planning to buy gifts for children in the war zone when I unexpectedly ran into Fiona Lin with her family of five. “Ethan, what are you doing here? You’re not working as a supermarket clerk, are you?” Asher Young, looking sharp in a burgundy suit, chimed in. On hearing this, my father-in-law immediately scolded: “Ethan Quinn, have you lost your mind?” “If word gets out, you’ll disgrace the Lewis family again!” Fiona Lin, with a cold and impatient demeanor, reproached me: “I told you not to volunteer teach, but you didn’t listen! What good has it done you?” “You spent a year in jail for nothing, dragging us down with you. Now that your name is cleared, you’re not even taking your teaching job and instead working as a store clerk!” I couldn’t help but mock myself. Once, Fiona Lin said she admired people like me, ordinary yet noble. She was proud of me. But now, her tone was full of blame and disdain. Time can truly change a person, or maybe, it’s just that love is gone. My mother-in-law, holding a child, rolled her eyes at me: “When you go out, don’t say you know us. Just say you and Fiona are divorced.” “It’s embarrassing! Let’s go somewhere else, this is such bad luck.” Hearing this, Asher Young wore a mocking smile but pretended to hesitate: “Isn’t that bad? Ethan is earning money for my child’s baby formula.” “Let’s go, Asher. It’s his duty; otherwise, why would the child call him dad?” With that, Fiona Lin linked arms with Asher Young, surrounded by her parents, and left without looking back. Truly, they belong together. Since that’s the case, I’ll grant them their wish and divorce Fiona Lin! Before the one-month birthday banquet, I received a message from my lawyer. He learned from a female classmate that she was bribed by my father-in-law to slander me, asking if I wanted to sue or report it. My father-in-law paid to have me slandered and cyberbullied? I stared blankly at the message, feeling as if I had fallen into a dark hell. The insults and humiliation I suffered over the past year, and the more than three hundred days I spent in prison, were all thanks to my “beloved” father-in-law?! I clenched my fist involuntarily, wanting to rush to him and ask why he did this to me!! Just then, Fiona Lin’s family came over with the child. My father-in-law’s happy face turned dark the moment he saw me. “Ethan Quinn, you’re the child’s nominal father. It’s the child’s one-month party today. How can you be so indifferent?” “Dressing like this! Can’t you learn from Asher? You’re embarrassing us!” I stared at him, about to speak, but Asher Young immediately chimed in, dissatisfied: “Exactly! Ethan, have you been in prison so long that you’ve lost your sense of priority?! “My child’s one-month milestone, and you’re so casually dressed. Even if the child is mine, he still has to call you dad!” My mother-in-law also rolled her eyes, holding the child with a sarcastic tone: “He’s not a teacher anymore; he’s a junior store clerk. It’s normal he can’t afford good clothes.” Seeing this, Fiona Lin pulled me aside with a stern face. “Ethan Quinn, stay here, keep your head down, and don’t embarrass us.” “And after the banquet, quit that clerk job! Cry, beg, whatever, get back to teaching! Stop embarrassing me!” With that, she turned and left. Looking at their retreating figures, I was fuming with anger. They slandered me and got me imprisoned, and now they keep belittling me, wanting me to be a fool to raise their child?! Do they really think they have me cornered?! Well, I’ll give them an even bigger gift at the banquet later!
Not long after, the one-month banquet began, and the hall was filled with friends and family. “Ethan?! Ugh, how did this scumbag get out?!” “Probably here for the child, what a beast. Has a wife and child, yet violated a female student!” Those who didn’t know I was wrongfully accused recognized me and spat insults, keeping their distance. I remained expressionless, explaining nothing. Then, the staff brought in a large family photo, showing Fiona Lin and Asher Young’s family of five, but I was absent. Someone wondered, “Why isn’t Ethan Quinn in it? Who’s the guy holding his wife, is it her brother?” I smiled and responded: “That’s Fiona Lin’s husband. I’m her ex.” Hearing this, everyone around me was shocked. They whispered and spread the news throughout the hall. Sensing something was wrong, my in-laws pulled me aside, threatening: “The friends and family here don’t know you were wronged. If you keep causing trouble, don’t blame us for using this as an excuse to kick you out!” “If it weren’t for the Lewis family’s reputation, we wouldn’t let a loser like you be our grandson’s dad!” Fiona Lin also came over with a stern face: “Ethan Quinn, today is your child’s one-month party. You should know what to say and what not to say. If you speak out of line, don’t blame me for divorcing you!” I calmly nodded, assuring them I wouldn’t “cause trouble.” They let me go, and the family smiled as they went on stage. Fiona Lin took the microphone, happily saying: “Dear friends and family, welcome to my son’s one-month celebration. I believe the happiest moment in a woman’s life is marrying a good husband.” “And even happier, having a child with that husband. Because when the child appears in the world, it represents happiness becoming tangible!” She spoke passionately, occasionally gazing lovingly at Asher Young. But when her eyes landed on me, her warmth vanished instantly. Seeing this, I smiled and walked on stage, her expression changed, and she whispered cautiously: “Ethan Quinn, what are you doing?” “Today is the child’s one-month party. As your ‘husband,’ I naturally have something to say.” Fiona Lin frowned, but under the watchful eyes of all, she could only grit her teeth and warn me softly: “If you dare speak out of line, don’t blame me for never letting it go!” Not only was Fiona Lin’s face full of panic, but Asher Young and her parents were also wary. I even saw my father-in-law clench his fist, ready to stop me if I said anything wrong. I smiled faintly, reassuring them I wouldn’t speak out of line. “First, as the child’s ‘father’ and Fiona Lin’s ‘husband,’ I thank all the friends and family for coming from afar to celebrate the child’s one-month.” Seeing me so docile, Fiona Lin’s eyes flashed with joy, and she breathed a sigh of relief. But Asher Young and my in-laws showed a hint of disdain and mockery. Seeing this, I immediately changed my tone: “But I must tell everyone the truth about the child! This child isn’t mine! It’s the child of Fiona Lin and this man, Asher Young!” Hearing this, the faces of all the friends and family changed, especially those on my side, who angrily slammed the table. Seeing this, Fiona Lin immediately came to grab my microphone, Asher Young, and my in-laws frantically tried to control me. I dodged them and continued: “Fiona Lin not only had a child with someone else, but she also wanted me to claim this child and raise it for them! This is outrageous!” “As a husband, I refuse to take the blame! As a teacher, I refuse to lie and cover up!” “From today, Fiona Lin, I want a divorce!” With that, I voluntarily dropped the microphone, slamming down a divorce agreement in front of everyone. Fiona Lin quickly picked up the microphone, her eyes red with tears as she cried out to everyone: “Ethan Quinn! What nonsense are you talking about! It’s not like you said!” I sidestepped their attempts to interrupt and continued speaking: “Fiona Lin didn’t just have a child with someone else; now she wants me to accept and raise this child. It’s absolutely preposterous!” “As a husband, I won’t take the fall for their actions! And as a teacher, I refuse to lie and cover for them!” “From today onwards, Fiona Lin, I want a divorce!” With that, I set down the microphone and presented a divorce agreement on the table for all to see. Fiona Lin quickly picked up the microphone, tears brimming in her eyes as she cried out to everyone: “Ethan Quinn! What are you saying? That’s not true at all!” My father-in-law, furious, grabbed my shirt and slammed me onto the table, shouting: “You little scoundrel, I knew you had bad intentions!” “Friends and family, don’t believe him! He’s lying! Watch me deal with this deceitful scum who even preys on his female students!” He grabbed a bottle of liquor, ready to smash it over my head! Just then, the doors burst open, and a group of police officers rushed in! “Stop!” Seeing the police, my father-in-law was momentarily stunned but then laughed heartily: “Ethan Quinn! You’ve done wrong for so long, and now it’s catching up to you! Look, the police have come to arrest you!” “Officer, quickly take this criminal away!” My mother-in-law had a grim expression as well. “Ethan Quinn, this is your comeuppance! The law won’t let any wrongdoer go unpunished! This proves that Asher Young is the better son-in-law for us!” Hearing this, I smirked, “Oh really? Are you sure the police are here for me?” The next moment, the police approached and presented an arrest warrant, but the suspect’s name wasn’t mine. “Gideon Lin! You’re suspected of false accusations and framing! Please come with us for questioning!”
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