Choose Your Own Family

It turned out that my parents, who had begged me to come home back then, never really loved me.

I worked myself to the bone for them, constantly putting their needs above mine.

But instead of any gratitude, they treated me like a fool, using me and deceiving me at every turn.

In their hearts, they only had one son—Kevin.

When Kevin was "paralyzed", I tried to find him a job he could manage, something fitting for someone with a disability.

My mother cursed me angrily for a whole day.

At that time, I thought she was just worried about her youngest son. But now I realized that behind my back, Kevin was living a life of luxury, like a rich playboy.

And now, even my fiancée had betrayed me.

I looked at her slightly rounded belly, and a terrifying thought slowly began to creep into my mind...

Clenching my fists, I gritted my teeth and asked, "And the baby…"

Giselle frowned, her face full of disgust. "Do you think I'd bear your child? Anyway, you've seen it for yourself. You're just some uneducated person from the countryside. If you weren't willing to support me, do you think I'd be with you? Get away from me. I feel like throwing up every time you're near!"

No wonder my fiancée had been pushing me away more and more recently. She even refused to lie on the same bed with me, no matter what.

I thought it was just because she was pregnant and not feeling well.

But I never imagined it was because of this!

Given Kevin's provocative gaze, everything finally clicked into place.

We always used protection, so how could she be pregnant?

At first, I thought it was an accident. I believed that she wanted to have children with me, that she really loved me and didn't care about my life.

I was so happy I didn't know what to do with myself. I even got a second job that day, trying to save up for a decent wedding for her.

But now, everything felt like a shameful lie!

At least I was finally seeing things clearly now. I would be back with Solomon soon!

Kevin squeezed Giselle's face and smiled smugly.

"Thomas, I really don't know how to thank you," he said with a mocking grin. "I heard you went so far as to clean shoes for rich kids just so my son could get something nutritious to eat, letting them treat you like a punching bag."

My mother chimed in from the side, "You should know your place and think about whether you deserve nice things! Of course, Giselle doesn't want you. What's wrong with that? Who do you think you are to complain?"

I felt like I was falling into an icy pit, pain squeezing my heart so tight I could hardly breathe.

My phone in my pocket buzzed constantly. I wanted to answer Solomon's call, but before I could, Kevin's next words sent all the blood rushing to my head.

"You should know that the first day Giselle saw me, she climbed into my bed."

So she had betrayed me from the very beginning! How I wish I had known sooner!

All that talk about unwavering love, about being together forever... none of it meant a thing when money was involved!

Then Kevin leaned in, his voice dripping with mockery. "You have good taste, though. She's a lot of fun in bed."

I couldn't take it anymore. With a flash of rage, I threw a punch at him.

"You brat!" My father, furious, kicked me hard in the knee, and Giselle rushed over to scratch my face wildly.

I tried to dodge, but instead, I tripped over a mannequin and fell straight into a puddle of water.

My mother, looking worried, instructed the staff to bring a warm towel and carefully wiped Kevin's bruised face. "Sweetheart, are you okay? It's all my fault. If I hadn't let that brat back in, you wouldn't be hurt! I didn't expect him to be so ungrateful! He's reconnected with us, but he still isn't satisfied!"

Kevin grabbed my mother's hand, shaking his head theatrically. "It's fine, Mom. He's my brother. I can take a few hits from him."

My father spat on the ground in disgust. "Brother? A worthless, ungrateful thing like him doesn't deserve to be part of our family!"

He turned to the moving crew nearby. "Whoever teaches him a lesson right now, I'll give you 2 thousand bucks!"

The moment they heard that, their eyes lit up, and they rolled up their sleeves, rushing toward me.

They dragged me out of the puddle and began beating me mercilessly, kicking and punching.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you provoke the Mr. Kevin!"

"You ungrateful piece of trash. You'll never amount to anything but a rat in the gutter!"

Even the service staff sneaked in a couple of kicks.

I was left battered, my face a mess of bruises and blood streaming down my forehead.

I curled up like a shrimp, my heart tearing apart as I remembered the suffering of the past five years.

What did I do wrong to deserve this? But all I got in response was more beating.

Through the cracks of my fingers, I saw my parents looking at me with nothing but disdain, and my mind suddenly flashed to the two wonderful people who had raised me for twenty years—my foster parents.

They had no children of their own but treated me as their own flesh and blood, giving me the best life and the best education, and even promising to find me a perfect wife.

I was a fool! I should have listened to their advice!

"Do you realize what you've done?" my father sneered, stepping on my face with his polished shoes, looking down at me. "If you grovel and apologize to Kevin right now, we might consider forgiving you."

When I didn't speak or show any sign of compliance, his fury exploded. "You rubbish! I guess we're doing this the hard way!"

He signaled the movers.

The crew leader understood, grabbing my collar and forcing me to grovel. I struggled with all my might, but the only response I got was slap after slap, the blows so hard my head spun.

They pressed down on my neck, forcing me to apologize to Kevin.

Just then, several Rolls-Royces and a long Lincoln pulled up in front of the bridal shop.

A group of tall, muscular bodyguards stepped out, followed by a sharply dressed old man, looking furious as he strode toward us.

It was the service staff who recognized him first, bowing and greeting him enthusiastically. "Mr. Reed, it's an honor to have you at our humble shop!"

But he ignored them completely and walked straight up to me, helping me to my feet.

In the next moment, his voice froze everyone in place.

"Which one of you is forcing my son to grovel and apologize?"