After Giving Up, I Gained Both Fame and Wealth

Preface

My good friend's son, who was fostered in my house, bullied my daughter.

Looking at my friend and my wife kneeling on the ground begging for his son,

My heart was as cold as ashes,

I decided to give up myself,

and let them go to hell as a family.

1.

I looked at the scene in front of me, unable to control my trembling body.

A huge anger surged up in my heart, turning into intense nausea, almost vomiting.

My wife Leah screamed and rushed into the room, holding Jeff's swollen head with grave.

"Jeff, who beat you like this? Tell me. I will avenge you!"

Perhaps afraid of Leah, my daughter timidly came over, grabbed my clothes, and spoke with a hint of unfamiliarity, who I hadn't seen for a long time.

"Daddy, I didn't mean it.

Jeff wants to play a bad game with me, but I didn't play with him. So Jeff wanted to hit me."

Leah's heart ached for Jeff, which made me sick. And my daughter sobbed softly as she spoke.

I looked at my daughter's swollen face, still with hand prints on it, and various traces of beatings on her body, which were unbearable to look at.

The anger in my heart was beyond words.

I stabilized my mind and gently comforted my crying daughter.

The little girl didn't know what had happened. She just felt that her long-lost daddy suddenly came back, and she missed him very much.

Before my daughter could smile, Leah rushed up excitedly.

"Ann, what's wrong with you? Look at what you've done to Jeff!"

"I didn't expect you little girl to be so disobedient! He only hit you a couple of times. Why did you have to throw a vase at Jeff!"

He only hit you a couple of times.

Listening to such casual words, I couldn't imagine what kind of life my daughter had been living when I was not at home.

Perhaps forgetting that I was there, she spewed out a series of harsh words that I couldn't believe a biological mother could say to her own daughter.

My daughter shrank into my arms. Being so little, she didn't understand the meaning behind her mother's words, but she could tell that her mother disliked her.

"Leah."

I interrupted her.

I couldn't imagine how much torment my daughter would have suffered if I wasn't there.

"I need an explanation for what happened today."

I was often sent to another city for work and could only come home during holidays.

I also used to wonder if it was wrong to be absent from my daughter's growth, but Leah assured me that she would take care of everything and wait for me to come back.

In order to give my daughter a better future, I chose to work abroad for five years. After I came back, I could directly be promoted as a manager, and the salary was considerable.

But I didn't expect that when I came back, I would face a scene where my godson intended to bully my daughter!

2.

"It's normal for little kids to fight. Besides, Ann even hit Jeff. How can a girl fight? Look at the bump on Jeff's head!"

Leah laughed it off, with a tone that showed indifference.

"Besides, nothing really happened! Don't make such a big deal out of it.

You must be tired from the trip back. I'll go cook. By the way, when are you leaving?"

Listening to the impatient tone of this flamboyantly dressed woman in front of me, and looking at my daughter in tattered clothes in my arms, I couldn't help but find it ridiculous.

Leah was born in a family that favored boys over girls and had been used to a hard life since childhood.

I transferred my salary into Leah's account on time every month.

I was afraid that Leah would be too thrifty, so I specifically told her not to treat herself and my daughter badly.

At this point, it seemed that she had spent all the money I worked hard to earn on herself and Jeff.

Ignoring Leah's question, I turned my head and looked at Jeff rolling on the ground.

A ten-year-old child's face should be innocent, but it was full of lures different from ordinary people.

He stared straight at my arms and muttered,

"Aunt Leah, I want Leah to play games with me."

Leah agreed repeatedly and was about to pull Ann down from my arms.

"You troublesome thing! Didn't you hear Jeff say that he wanted to play with you? Go and play with Jeff quickly!"

I looked at the unfamiliar pushing and shoving actions of the woman. What was the difference between this and the abuse that Leah had been through in her family?

"That's enough!"

I stopped Leah's actions.

"Call Dennis and ask him to pick up his son as possible. I don't want to see him in my house again!"

Dennis was my good friend.

Dennis, Leah, and I met in college. We worked together and became good friends.

We both admired Leah for coming from a family that favored boys over girls, so we took care of her.

After graduating from college, Dennis went to another place to seek opportunities. Leah and I found solace in each other and naturally got together.

Three years ago, Dennis came back with a little boy to visit, saying that his wife was sick. He needed to take care of her, so he had no time to take care of the child. He hoped that the child could be fostered in my house.

Looking at his weathered appearance, I felt a burst of sadness. I wanted to help, but I thought it would be difficult for Leah, who was taking care of our daughter, to suddenly have another child to take care of.

Before I could consider further, Leah took the initiative to say that she would treat this child as her own son, so that both of us could focus on our work outside.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed. Dennis' wife had long passed away, but the child was still staying at my house.

Looking at the way Jeff was bossing people around, he seemed like the crown prince of my family.

3.

To my surprise, Dennis came quickly.

Even before I could dial Dennis's phone number, he had already appeared at the door.

Seeing the man entering the door as if it were his own home, I felt that things were not as simple as I had imagined.

"Dad!"

Jeff rushed into Dennis' arms like a little calf, as if he had found someone to rely on, and looked proudly at me.

"Dad, he bullied me and..."

The voice was too low for me to hear the rest, but Dennis' face suddenly changed, and he quickly covered Jeff's mouth.

"Bradley, you're back. Why didn't you say it earlier so that Leah could make a few dishes and I could go pick you up."

I quietly observed the man in front of me, completely different from three years ago. Dennis was now dressed in a decent suit, with a slicked-back hairstyle, giving off an air of an elite.

"I just finished my busy schedule and came back to see Ann."

I didn't want the education issue of the children to affect our brotherhood for many years.

I could only endure it for now and find an opportunity for everyone to openly and sincerely discuss this matter.

But Jeff, I would definitely not let him stay at my house anymore.

I didn't notice it. When she heard Dennis' voice, my daughter, who had just been calmed down, started trembling again.

4.

I went back to the room to tidy up the gifts I brought back for my daughter. When I looked up, I saw Ann standing at the door, quietly looking at me, so well-behaved.

I waved my hand and let my daughter come in, not knowing how to express my fatherly love.

Just looking at my daughter's little face, I felt extremely happy.

I guessed I was a so-called girl dad.

"Ann, do you miss Daddy?"

"Dad, can I sleep with you tonight? I hate Uncle Dennis..."

I put my hands on the ground, feeling everything spinning.

I couldn't imagine what Ann had experienced to say such earth-shattering words.

Without time to ask about Jeff's behavior, I picked up my daughter and rushed out of the door.

My daughter didn't know what had happened, laughing in my arms, as if she had finally escaped from the evil home.

In the hospital, facing the doctor's barrage of questions, I couldn't say a word in defense.

After all, it was all my fault.

If I hadn't agreed to let Dennis come to my home, none of this would have happened.

I recalled the relationship between me and Dennis over the years.

We were always inseparable good friends in college.

When I needed help the most, it was Dennis who lent me a hand.

On a snowy day, when Leah was giving birth and I was at a loss, he rushed to help me.

All these kindness and favors, vanished like smoke when I learned that Ann was hurt.

Those who bullied my daughter could never escape from punishment.

5.

I couldn't go back home.

I brought my daughter to a five-star hotel. Before I finished dealing with things, this would be our temporary home.

I comforted Ann, telling her that this was the house where Snow White's dwarfs lived, and I was the knight who protected Snow White.

I called my parents and asked them to come overnight to help me take care of Ann.

Looking at Ann sleeping soundly in her bed, I once again felt that I was not a competent father. It was because of my absence from home that my daughter had suffered such harm.

Fortunately, everything had not turned into a disaster yet, and I still had a chance to make up for it.

The next day, after making arrangements for my parents to look after Ann, I hurried back home.

There was only Leah at home, and she was very surprised to see me.

"Bradley, why are you back?"

Yesterday, I rushed out in a hurry and forgot to tell Leah, who was cooking in the kitchen. Later, I was busy comforting the crying Ann, and I forgot about this matter.

Unexpectedly, Leah thought that I had gone on a temporary business trip as usual.

"Leah, I want to talk to you about Ann's situation."

I forced myself to calm down and hoped that Leah wouldn't be too angry about this matter.

"Ann? Isn't Ann sleeping in her room?"

The anger in my heart finally erupted at this moment.

I really couldn't imagine how a mother could be so indifferent to her own daughter, not even caring whether her own child was at home or not, but favoring other people's child so much.

"Leah! You're unbelievable! Didn't you even notice that Ann wasn't home all night?

Don't you know what Dennis did to her?

I'm telling you, the matter with Jeff yesterday is not over! I'm going to call the police right away and take the police take Jeff and Dennis away!"

I was furious, took out my phone and was about to call the police, but unexpectedly Leah suddenly rushed over and knocked my phone out of my hand.

"You can't call the police! You can't! If you call the police, how can the child survive?"

I looked at the woman in front of me who was going crazy, and unexpectedly felt the lost motherly love from her.

But Leah also graduated from university. Didn't she know that forbearance was kindness to the enemy?

I calmed Leah down and planned to explain the truth to her, to make her see through Dennis' true face.

But I heard her muttering,

"You can't call the police. If you do, Jeff will be finished. How can he live after it's known to everyone?"