Chapter 3

Calum was even more furious than I was. After hearing what Mom and Dad said, he stood up without a word and grabbed his bag. "Fine, suit yourselves. I'll take Eliza to have your grandson aborted right now so he won't stand in the way of this adopted bastard.

"Since the courthouse is still open ahead of the holiday, I'll file for divorce from Eliza right away. She and Jeremiah aren't related by blood anyway. Since you favor him so much, you might as well let him be your son-in-law."

As soon as he said that, the whole house erupted into chaos.

Eliza looked as if she were about to drop to her knees. "Darling, please stop. This is our son. How could we get rid of him? Have you forgotten how long we waited for this baby?"

Calum didn't actually want Eliza to have an abortion. As he looked at her slightly rounded belly, tears streamed down his face. "Do you think I really want you to have an abortion? Have you thought about what will happen if I don't do something?

"Legally, Jeremiah has inheritance rights. If his biological parents could throw him away, that says plenty about the kind of people they were. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. What makes you think he won't come after our family's assets?

"Besides, there's still a week until the New Year. All these years, he always waited until New Year's Eve to return, so why did he come back so early this time? He obviously came home to claim a share of the compensation money."

By the time he finished speaking, Eliza looked overwhelmed and kept sighing. It was clear she thought he had a point.

I frowned. I had always heard that women tended to listen to their husbands after getting married, but I never imagined my sister, who had spoiled me since childhood, would be one of them.

Seeing that Eliza had gone quiet, Calum stopped pressuring her and turned to my parents. "Dad, Mom, tell me. Who do you want? Me—your son-in-law—and your grandson, or this scum you picked up off the street?"

An eerie silence fell over the room. I wanted to leave right away to avoid putting Mom and Dad in a difficult position, as I knew they would never force me out.

They had always treated me very well growing up, even better than they treated Eliza. Everyone knew that. It was that love that had kept me from losing my temper through all of this.

Thinking of that, I took several deep breaths. "Calum, parents always plan for their children's future. I get it, so I won't be angry with you. I'm willing to write a guarantee that I will never take a single dollar from Mom and Dad. About the demolition—"

Calum cut me off impatiently. "Of course you'd say that now. Who's to say you won't cause problems later?"

I shook my head. "Calum, we're both younger. Do you really have to pressure Mom and Dad like this?"

Calum smiled as if he had just heard something ridiculous. "I'm not pressuring them. Haven't you noticed they have already signed that agreement sitting right in front of you?"

What? I felt a chill run through my entire body. I stood frozen in place, staring at Mom and Dad in disbelief.

Seeing my expression, they both looked a little embarrassed but eventually nodded.

Mom spoke up. "Jeremiah, just let it go. Sign the papers. Your dad and I raised you for 20 years. If you really care about us, don't make this harder than it needs to be. Even after you sign, you're still welcome to visit us, and you'll still be part of this family."

My throat tightened. I couldn't get a single word out.

Eliza sighed. "Jeremiah, you're a sensible person. By now, you should understand where Mom, Dad, and I stand. Do us a favor and let our family have a peaceful New Year, okay?"

My gaze drifted between the three of them several times. In the end, I slumped onto the couch, drained of all strength. "Do you really want to kick me out?"