Lost all hope...

(Mike's POV)

My parents had me before they got married. To them, I was a mistake. My mom got pregnant while she was in school, and she had to drop out. My dad was forced to take responsibility by the people in the neighbourhood and my parents got married after I was born. My mom was from a rich household, but she was disowned after what happened. Her mom gave her money to help her out for at least 5 years, so she was able to run a small business. My dad worked for a small company and was able to provide for us. At the age of five, that's when it all began. My parents had a big argument, and my dad left the house in anger. My mom was devastated and poured out her anger on me. She would come home drunk every night and end up beating me up and cursing at me. She would always ask me why I had to be born and ruin her life. I was just a kid, but I had to suffer for something that I had no control over. I decided to avoid my mother as much as I could. I would leave the house early and stay in school till evening. Then I would wander around the neighbourhood till late at night and come back when she was asleep. I did that for a few months and things had become better until my dad showed up again. This time, he had brought a woman home. She showed up with a baby. It was then I realized what had happened. My dad had cheated on my mom, and she found out about it. My mom was taken aback when she saw them. She got really angry and ended up passing out. I called the emergency number, and she was taken to the hospital. The doctor told me that she had a tumour in her brain, and she had limited time left. I broke down into tears and begged my dad to save her. Mt dad told me that it would be better if she died so that she wouldn't have to suffer living with him. Upon hearing his words, I had lost all hope. How could he say such a thing? It was then I remembered that I still had my mother's family that could help me. I rushed over to my grandmother and told her everything that had happened. She was shocked and tensed up. My grandmother paid for my mom's hospital bills and ensured that the best doctors attended to my mother. But nothing could be done to save her. My mom passed away a year later and a few months after, my dad married his mistress. I had a new stepmother and she hated me a lot. She treated me like a servant in my own home. My mother was the actual owner of the house, but she didn't leave a will stating that the house would be given to me "or so I thought". My father would turn a blind eye to the way I was treated, I never really had any faith in him though. I decided to just ignore it all and live like I was dead. I went to my grandmother to ask if I could stay with her, but she told me that my grandfather was against the idea. Rather, she gave me a house to live in and a nanny who would take care of me. I was happy that I didn't have to live with that so-called father of mine. 

I had been scarred as a child and it took a toll on me mentally. I had lost faith in everyone aside from my grandmother. She was all I had. It became worse when I started getting bullied in school. The news had spread that my father didn't want me, and my mother died because of it. I had become an outcast at school, and I was an easy target to bully. I had to endure it all because my grandmother believed that I was a strong child, and I wasn't a mistake like everyone said.

When I turned eleven, my grandmother passed away. I became depressed after hearing the news of her passing. The only person I could rely on had left me. I was given a huge part of her wealth and her most trusted friend had become my new guardian, and she was in charge of my wellbeing. I had met her a few times when my grandmother came to visit so I was a bit familiar with her, but it wasn't the same as when I was with my grandmother. It was difficult to open up to her, but she wasn't really insisting that I opened up. I was given a year off from school and I didn't start middle school with my peers. I had appointments with a psychologist every month and my depression subsided, and my mind had been restored back to how it used to be. But one thing couldn't change, my past already happened, and I couldn't change that. It took me a year to get back to my senses and move on from everything that had happened. I had realized that running away from it all won't change a thing. So, I decided to face it all head on. A few days before the new year started, I went to see my dad. I wanted to set things straight with him. I met him and my younger siblings at home. They looked like one big happy family. It hurt to see that he was doing fine while I was suffering. But I didn't go there to feel oppressed.

He was surprised to see me. I expected him to treat me harshly, but he didn't. Rather, he welcomed me with open arms. He treated me like he actually thought of me as a son. I felt disgusted with his attitude, and I decided to ignore it. I told him everything that I had kept hidden, from the moment he left angrily when I was five, up until the moment I left the house. I needed to get it all out of my chest. He apologized for all that he had done but that wasn't enough to change how I felt. 

Honestly, I was happy that I had younger siblings. They hadn't done anything wrong to deserve harsh treatment from me. So, instead of treating them harshly like how their mother treated me, I embraced them and spent the day with them. I took them out to play and I treated them like I would treat my siblings. I came over to play with them every day, and I did it only when their mom was away. My dad had become quite rich, so the kids didn't have to worry about anything, and I was happy for them. I decided to accept the way things are and live my life better than it had been.