Chapter 3 A Father Denied

They clung to each other, unable to wait as they hurried into the bedroom.

When the sound of running water from inside came, a surge of fury shot straight to my head. I could not believe Brooke would treat me like this.

Rage flooded my entire body. I clenched my fists and rushed to the bedroom door, wishing I could burst in and tear the two of them apart. The next second, the door clicked open, and several pieces of dirty clothing were thrown out.

Isaac's low, hoarse voice followed. "Don't just stand there. Clean this up and get out!"

"Stop wasting time on the cleaner… Isaac, come here…"

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

The sounds of their entanglement continued inside the room.

"I'm a lot more useful than that useless Marcus, aren't I?"

"Why even bring him up? He's a boring waste of space. If it weren't for the kid, I would've come clean with him a long time ago!"

My whole body trembled. I could not bear to listen any longer. I did not even have the courage to confront them. While they were completely absorbed in each other, I slipped away.

I wandered the streets, half-conscious, when a transfer notification suddenly came through.

Because I had not cleaned properly, 100 dollars had been deducted.

Holding the remaining 400, I felt like a complete joke.

When I walked into a clothing store, the sales assistant rolled her eyes at me with open disdain. I swallowed the humiliation and picked up a shirt that cost 280 dollars. With what little remained, I could still buy some snacks for my daughter to celebrate Children's Day…

Watching her happy smile felt like the only ray of light breaking through the cracks.

…

The next day, I woke up early. I put on the new suit and even used a bit of hair gel.

But the moment I stepped into the kindergarten, before I could even find my daughter's classroom, a parent called out to me.

"Hey, you over there. Come here!"

Before I could react, a bag of foul-smelling garbage was thrown at me. Brown liquid seeped through, staining my white shirt.

A rush of anger flared up. "What are you—"

"Why did you show up so late? I'm going to file a complaint to your agency!" The man cursed under his breath, his face full of contempt. "You're just a cleaner. What are you doing wearing a suit? Look at yourself in the mirror!"

The hostility hit me head-on, leaving me at a loss.

I instinctively wanted to argue back. But when I caught sight of myself in the nearby mirror, I froze.

My cheap suit and mismatched outfit stood in sharp contrast to the man's tailored attire. In that instant, all my resistance drained away.

Shame washed over me. Like a defeated soldier, I lowered my head and hurried off. Yet even then, I still had to throw the bag of garbage into the bin.

"Is Jane Sullivan's parent here yet?"

I gathered myself, forcing a smile as I stepped forward. But the look of disgust on my daughter's face stopped my words in my throat.

"What are you doing here? Where's Mom? I want Mom!"

Her rejection was not hidden at all. I stood there, frozen, the hand holding the snacks suspended awkwardly in midair, ridiculous and humiliated.

"Jane, is that your dad? He looks like a hobo! Even our security guard dresses better than him!"

"What are you talking about? He's not my dad!"

I watched as my daughter, as if deeply ashamed, hurried to distance herself from me.

"He's just my family's cleaner. He brought me snacks. You think a sloppy guy like him is my dad?"

With that, she snatched the bag of snacks from my hand and shoved me toward the door without hesitation.

"Leave already! Don't disturb us!"

The door slammed shut in front of me.

Helplessness and confusion surged like an endless tide, swallowing me whole and dragging me into the depths.

The laughter and joy inside the kindergarten left me dazed.

When had I become someone everyone despised and looked down on? Why was it that after giving everything to this family, I had become the unnecessary burden?