Chapter 3
My left arm was held by Evelyn, my right by Chloe. I couldn’t move.
It was clear they wouldn’t let me leave without an apology.
Behind me, Marcus looked on triumphantly. “It’s fine,” he said, emphasizing the words “our family.” “Let’s just get back to eating, our family.”
Only then did Evelyn and Chloe release me. The mother and daughter gave me a dirty look and followed Marcus back to their table.
As they walked away, I heard Evelyn mutter a sarcastic jab: “He really is getting more petty in his old age.”
Chloe chimed in, “Yeah, my dad’s so generous and big-hearted, unlike some people who are so narrow-minded.”
After I left the restaurant, I could hear their cheerful voices again: “Cheers to Dad, to my husband, for a successful return from overseas!”
And Marcus’s laughter: “To my daughter’s happy wedding!”
A cold smile touched my lips as I left. Happy wedding? I doubted if that wedding would even happen.
After all, I’d already prepared a surprise for their family. I just wondered if they could handle it.
While they were celebrating at the restaurant, I returned home and sorted through my belongings. I packed all my valuable items into a suitcase.
Before I knew it, night had fallen.
As I slid the packed suitcase under my bed, Evelyn and Chloe returned.
But there was an uninvited guest with them.
The mother and daughter were supporting a heavily intoxicated Marcus.
The moment they saw me, they ignored me like I was invisible.
They helped Marcus directly into my bedroom.
Chloe even thoughtfully brought a basin of water, took off Marcus’s shoes and socks, and began washing his feet.
Evelyn wasn’t idle either. She pulled out my brand-new pajamas from my closet and changed Marcus into them.
Watching the overly solicitous mother and daughter, a chill seeped into my bones, making me feel like I was in a freezer.
All these years, I’d worked myself to the bone, and I never received such treatment.
Once, when I heard Chloe was getting married, I got so happy and drank too much. They just left me at the front door.
That was in the dead of winter. I woke up with ice-cold hands and feet, only to realize I’d slept on the ground all night.
At that moment, Marcus, lying on the bed, suddenly sat up and vomited directly onto the floor.
Chloe quickly held the foot basin in front of him to catch his vomit.
Evelyn gently rubbed his back, her face full of tenderness.
I watched the scene unfold, and a wave of sorrow washed over me. I finally understood.
All this time, I had simply been unworthy. In their eyes, I was merely the lowest-ranking laborer in this household.
After they finished cleaning up, Evelyn turned to me, her face stern.
”You should stay at a hotel tonight,” she said. “Or, if you don’t mind, you can sleep on the living room sofa.”
Chloe, carrying the basin, quickly added,”No, Mom! What if he snores and wakes up Dad?”
The moment she spoke, Marcus’s thunderous snoring echoed from the bedroom.
Chloe’s face flushed with a flicker of embarrassment.
”Fine,” she conceded. “Uncle Richard, you can sleep on the sofa.”
That night, I tossed and turned on the sofa until I heard the bedroom door open.
Marcus, sobered up, staggered out of the bedroom. Unable to find the bathroom, he simply peed directly onto the floor.
My blood boiled.
”Are you insane?” I yelled. “Throwing a drunken tantrum at your age? You can’t even control your bladder!”
Hearing the commotion, Evelyn was the first to turn on the lights. Chloe, in her pajamas, rushed out as well.
They saw the puddle on the floor, and a flicker of embarrassment crossed their faces, but it quickly vanished.
Evelyn helped Marcus back into the room, and Chloe grabbed a mop and cleaned up the urine without a single complaint.
I remembered how they used to scold me for ages just because a little cigarette ash accidentally fell on the floor.
Chloe and Evelyn were both germaphobes. Yet, when Marcus did something so outrageous, they didn’t say a word.
Ultimately, their tolerance was born of love.
At that moment, my heart completely despaired, as if an invisible noose tightened around my throat.
The more I struggled, the more suffocated I felt.
But after seeing the true colors of these two, I finally let go.
In a few days, I wouldn’t have to endure this humiliation anymore.
What I didn’t know was how truly malicious they were, to scheme against me to this extent.