Chapter 3

To the astonishment of everyone, the son suddenly erupted in fury, "He's not my dad! I don't have a dad who's been to jail! I don't want to be here, I want to go home, I want to go home!"

He shouted several times, then plopped down on the ground and started rolling around.

"Mom, I want to go home, I don't want a dad like this, he's not my dad..."

The child's wailing caught the attention of the neighbors.

They all poked their heads out to watch the commotion.

Some even started gossiping.

"The son doesn't recognize his father, looks like this man hasn't been treating the mother and child well, how pitiful."

"Didn't you hear? He's been to jail. I can't believe our neighbor is an ex-con, it's terrifying. We must contact the landlord to kick him out."

"Yeah, the landlord just lets anyone move in."

The buzz of gossip made Serenity's face darken even more.

But I was fine.

Since getting out of prison, I'd heard too many such whispers.

Especially from those relatives, who always lectured me about turning over a new leaf and becoming a better person whenever they saw me.It's as if I'm an unforgivable bastard.

Everyone points and whispers, avoiding me like the plague.

My son glances at me smugly, "See? Everyone in the neighborhood says so. Why couldn't you just die in jail instead of coming out to ruin my life?"

Serenity quickly covers our son's mouth.

She hurriedly explains to me, "Kids pick up these things from who knows where. Don't take it personally. No matter what, you're still his father."

"I understand. You should head home now."

The food has gone cold. Even reheating it won't bring back its original flavor.

There's no food left for them here anyway.

"We'll come by another day then."

Serenity leaves, carrying our son.

I'm like an empty nester, sitting in front of the TV, which is on but I can't focus on it at all.

My mind is a jumbled mess. I'm not thinking about anything specific, yet I can't calm down.

Flashes of my life story race through my head.

Because I was the boss, my parents showered more love on my brother Damien.

They always thought of him first for everything good.

He went to the best schools, while I could only attend an average one.He had the support of his parents to start a business, while I could only work hard alone to earn money.

After his business failed, he still didn't receive any help from his parents.

All I got was blame, being told I wasn't as good as my brother and shouldn't have taken such risks.

Rather than taking risks myself, I should have just given the money to my brother and coasted on his success.

That year when Damien fled the scene after drunk driving, my parents' first instinct was to have me take the fall for him.

They begged me in tears, "Your brother's career is on the rise, he can't go to jail now."

"Don't worry, we'll definitely seek forgiveness from the victim's family and try to get your sentence reduced to just a couple years. When you get out, we promise we'll make it up to you."

Serenity was also crying her eyes out, "I'm already pregnant with your child, and I'll marry no one but you in this life. Look how pitiful your parents are, just agree to their request. If you're worried, we can get married first, and I'll wait for you to come back."

Unable to withstand their desperate pleas, I was forced to agree.

In the end, here I am, alone in front of the TV.

While they're all together as a happy family, as if I never existed.Sometimes, giving up is a way of letting yourself go.

A few days later, Damien called me to come to the company.

I initially didn't want to go, but Damien made several phone calls and even said he'd send someone to pick me up.

I remembered what Serenity had said before about me becoming a janitor for their company.

After thinking it over, I decided I should refuse them in person.

So I went.

As soon as I arrived at their company entrance, I saw Damien and Serenity handing out wedding favors.

The employees who received them were all smiles.

"Thank you, boss and boss's wife. Our Mr. Denton is really blessed. President Winters is so beautiful, and she's so smart and capable too."

"May Mr. Denton and President Winters have a happy marriage and stay together forever..."

The original cheerful atmosphere suddenly froze with my arrival.

They all looked at me, their smiles fading away.

"Who's that?"

"Mr. Denton's older brother. I heard he's been to prison. Mr. Denton is so successful, but his brother is like this...""Sit in prison? Why go to prison? How can the gap between siblings be so big?"

Damien saw me, flashed a smile, and then beckoned me to his office.

I followed him to his office.

He sat in the executive chair, exuding an air of confidence, a far cry from the humble demeanor he had when begging for my help years ago.

"Bro, you know your current situation. No respectable job will take you. Why don't you start as a janitor in my company? After some time, I'll promote you."

A janitor getting promoted and a raise? How far could that promotion really go?

I knew they arranged this on purpose.

But I didn't care anymore, and I had no intention of staying here as a janitor.

"No need."

"What?"

I stood up, "I have no plans to work as a janitor here."

Damien immediately furrowed his brow, saying with some difficulty, "Do you find being a janitor undignified? But bro, you've been to prison after all. I can't give you too good a position."

I shook my head, "It's not that. I just don't plan on working for your company."

Damien smiled with a hint of mockery, "Bro, you can't still be angry, can you?But you have to accept your fate. You have a criminal record now, Serenity and Jaxon can't be with you. You need to understand our position.

"You're an ex-con. Jaxon will be bullied by his classmates, and Serenity will be looked down upon. Why do you insist on coming? Stop being stubborn with us."

His attitude made me realize he had forgotten that I had taken the fall for him.

But now, all they care about is that I've been to prison and have a record. They all despise me.

"Brother, take this money. Consider it a small compensation from me," Damien said, pulling out a suitcase full of cash. "From now on, stop trying to see Serenity and Jaxon. They're my wife and child now."

His words seemed casual, but I could hear the warning in his tone.

Now, I've become the villain in this family.

I smiled, "I don't need this money."

"So you're going to keep pestering my wife and child? Let me be frank with you, Jaxon is my son, and he has nothing to do with you. You're my brother, and I'm grateful that you went to prison for me, but don't be delusional."Regarding this point, I was somewhat surprised, but not overly astonished.

This child came unexpectedly. She's pregnant, yet she recklessly begged me to take the fall for Damien.