Chapter 4

My mother used to be the light of my life. But that light had dimmed, and the humble hut she left me had become my last refuge.

I lost track of how many days I spent drowning in thoughts of my mother.

It was not until a sharp and insistent ringtone pulled me out of my sorrow.

It was a call from Sophia.

“Johnny, are you still mad at me?

“Tomorrow’s my mom’s birthday. Come join us. My family and I will be there. Remember to bring a gift.”

I agreed.

As for the gift, I would bring the court notice confirming my divorce filing.

The next day, I took it with me to Mrs. Shelby’s birthday banquet.

The moment I entered, every member of the Shelby family turned to me.

Their expressions varied, but all of them equally looked at me with obvious contempt.

“He’s Sophia’s husband, the Shelby family’s son-in-law.”

“Son-in-law, my foot! He’s nothing more than just a maid or babysitter. He lives off Sophia. That’s his only place.”

In the past, I had been nothing more than a doormat in the Shelby family.

I had to clean toilets, sweep floors, prepare meals, do the dishes, and so on. Whatever they told me to do, I would do it.

I did not want to make things difficult for Sophia. However, things were not the same anymore.

When I walked up to Sophia, she already had her arm around James’. They looked so intimate like a newlywed couple.

“Mrs. Shelby, here’s a gift for you.”

After James handed his gift over to Mrs. Shelby, he glanced sideways at me. His gaze was filled with smugness.

“Oh, my! This is a painting from a famous Renaissance artist! I heard it sold for a few million dollars at an auction.” Mrs. Shelby let out a surprised exclamation.

Her eyes lit up as she looked at the painting in her hands.

James grinned from ear to ear from the crowd’s praise and flattery.

“Johnny, what did you bring? Why don’t you show us?

“Let me say this first. If it’s some cheap junk that can’t even be put on display, don’t embarrass yourself by showing it to us. We don’t want to ruin Mrs. Shelby’s mood.”

James’ words triggered a wave of laughter, and everyone stared at the gift box in my hands. They seemed to be waiting for me to make a fool of myself, just like before.

It did not matter what my gift was. Whether it was expensive or inexpensive, or whether it suited her taste or not, Mrs. Shelby would always toss it into the bin in front of everyone. After that, she would rebuke me.

It was never really about the gift. She simply hated me and believed I was not worthy of her daughter. She believed my existence alone brought them disgrace.

This time, Mrs. Shelby reacted the same as she always did.

Her face twisted in disgust as she ordered, “If you think it’s embarrassing, don’t show it to me. Go to the kitchen and bring out the food.”

Mrs. Shelby spoke to me in an authoritative way and looked at me like I was a house-trained dog—a dog she believed she could humiliate at will without it biting back.

Meanwhile, Sophia stood by the side with the same air of arrogance. She raised her chin slightly as if to say, “See? At the end of the day, you’ll still submit to me because you can’t live without me.”

This time, I would disappoint them.

“Mrs. Shelby, I believe you’ll like this gift.” I smirked as I handed the gift box to her.