Home / One Party Game Proved I Don't Belong Here / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of One Party Game Proved I Don't Belong Here: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

15 Chapters

Chapter 1

I quietly stood up without a word and left the living room just before my tears could fall.Behind me, my son, Max Schofield, complained, "What's wrong with him now? All he does is ruin the mood."My wife, Louise Young, wasn't affected at all. "No idea. Just let him be. It's not like this is the first time, anyway."The offhand remark made me stop dead in my tracks.It was Max's seventh birthday today. I had gone to the grocery store first thing in the morning, bought all the ingredients, baked his birthday cake, and spent hours decorating our home to be party-ready.To my surprise, when Louise came home with him, she had also brought along her ex-boyfriend, Matthew Parker, who had lived abroad for the past seven years.Her excuse was, "Matthew just got back. He doesn't really have any friends here, so I thought I'd bring him along to liven things up."So, the entire evening, they catered to him as if he were the birthday boy.Matthew was afraid of balloons, so Louise tore down

Chapter 2

"He's the only person I've ever considered good enough for my daughter," Elaine added, her gaze telling.My heart sank. I turned around, and Matthew's excited face was the first thing I saw. At that moment, I felt something inside me die for good.I took out my phone and texted my superior, "I'll take the assignment abroad we discussed before."The truth was, my company had approached me about the position two weeks earlier. The overseas branch was launching a new project and needed someone who could lead the team independently.They had been searching for a long time but couldn't find anyone else suitable.In the end, the director and my superior, Chelsea Cooper, came to me in person. "Harlan, you're the only person for this job. In just five years, you'll get two promotions and triple your current salary."I turned it down then because Max had just started first grade, and Louise told me she would be the breadwinner while I stayed home and took care of things.I agreed then on

Chapter 3

The harsh reality was that not everyone got to be recognized as part of the family. Both last year and tonight, Louise, Max, and Elaine had made it clear that I wasn't part of theirs.And three days from now, the man standing behind the camera would finally leave them."Got it," I said, lowering my phone.Max was the first to jump down from his chair. "Let me see! Let me see! If Mr. Parker looks bad in it, I'm going to be mad!"Elaine looked unconvinced. "Already? Did you even try?""Let me see."Louise tapped on the photos and raised an eyebrow. "Not bad. You're finally learning. At least you know better than to get jealous over nothing."She gave me an approving look, but I looked away, afraid I might actually throw up."Now that we've taken the picture, it's time for Max to make his wishes."Matthew naturally instructed me, "Harlan, you're the closest. Could you turn off the lights?"Elaine nodded. "That's right, Harlan. Go ahead."I walked over and switched off the light

Chapter 4

"Loulou, come on!" Matthew called out to Louise.She snapped back to reality, then looked at me with a complicated expression. In the end, she said nothing."Coming!"The villa front door slammed shut. Only then did I finally come back to my senses.Dazed, I pulled out my phone and called Chelsea. "Save the wait. I'm leaving tonight."Perhaps she heard how hoarse my voice was. She stayed silent for only a few seconds and readily agreed. "Sure. Pack your things. I'll arrange for someone to pick you up."After hanging up, I began packing every piece of clothing I could take. Anything I couldn't take went into trash bags to be thrown away the next day.I also gathered all the toys and books I had bought Max over the years. They went into the trash bags as well.As I reached the bottom of the closet, my hand brushed against a metal box. Inside were all the keepsakes I had collected over my eight years of marriage to Louise.There was her first pregnancy checkup report, Max's tiny

Chapter 5

By the time my ride came, I was just coming downstairs with two suitcases in tow. The villa was eerily quiet, almost like a graveyard.I stood by the front door and looked back one last time.Only a few birthday balloons hung on the walls. The cake on the dining table had been hacked into a mess, with cream smeared across the tablecloth like dirty snow.This was the birthday party I had spent three days preparing. In a way, it was also a farewell ceremony I had unknowingly thrown for myself.The driver loaded my luggage into the car. I climbed into the back seat and closed the door.My phone rang again. Louise was calling. I looked at her name on my screen and refused to answer. She called again, and the same thing happened.Soon, a string of texts came."Harlan, are you done with this tantrum?""It's Max's birthday. Did you have to ruin it for everyone?""Where are you now?"I stared at Louise's messages, and suddenly, she felt like a total stranger. Eight years ago, she had

Chapter 6

I organized everything into a file and sent it over to Nicole. After reviewing it, she asked, "Mr. Schofield, are you sure you don't want to fight for custody?"I stared at the laptop screen for a long time. In the end, I replied, "I already did. I fought for him every single day since he was born."I fought to get him to eat a proper meal, to sleep through the night, to stay calm when he ran a fever, to call me Dad for the first time, and to be able to look back and see I had always been there for him.But after seven years, he admitted that he didn't want me as his dad.Nicole didn't try to persuade me again. She only asked, "What about visitation and child support?""Whatever the law requires," I said. "But I won't accept any guilt-tripping. I won't let them use Max to keep dragging me back into their lives.""Understood."She worked quickly. That same day, she sent the divorce agreement to Louise.Louise called soon after from an unfamiliar number. When I answered, her vo

Chapter 7

Yet for some reason, I didn't find my days here hard. After all, no pain, no gain.When I signed my first supplier contract, Chelsea patted me on the shoulder. "I knew I could count on you, Harlan."At that moment, I was reminded of what Louise once told me. She wanted to be the breadwinner while expecting me to stay home and handle household duties.Now I understood it wasn't that she wanted to be the breadwinner. She just didn't want me to make something of myself and become powerful.A man who regained his power would never lower his head and beg for her love.Ten days after I left, Elaine sent me an email. The subject line read, "Do you have no conscience as a father?"I didn't open it. I forwarded it straight to Nicole.She replied almost immediately, "It contains abusive language. I've backed it up for the record.""Good."When I got back to my apartment after work, I still saw a few lines from the email in my spam folder."Max hasn't been eating these past few days pro

Chapter 8

I knew Louise was trying to hold back her anger."I won't sign the divorce agreement," she said. "I'm here to take you home."I laughed. "Home? Which one? The one where Matthew sleeps in my bed, while Elaine and Max both see him as the ideal son-in-law and father? You want me to go back there?"Embarrassment crossed Louise's face. "Matthew's only staying temporarily. He just got back and has nowhere else to go.""He couldn't afford a hotel room?"She faltered."You're not stupid, Louise," I continued. "You just thought I'd put up with it. You thought all you had to do was call, and I'd come running back."She swallowed hard. "Harlan, I admit I could've handled that night better, but we've been married for eight years. You can't just decide you're done and walk away."I looked at her and suddenly felt sorry for her. Even now, she still believed I left because of that night. But it wasn't one night—it was our eight years together.When I was sick, she stayed on video calls wit

Chapter 9

At first, Max still tried to sound arrogant. "Dad, when are you coming home? Mr. Parker's cooking tastes awful. He won't let me leave my toys in the living room.""You can ask your mom to deal with it," I said.But he wasn't happy with that. "You used to handle all of that.""Yeah, I used to."There was a brief moment of silence before he lost his temper. "Do you not want me anymore?"Something inside me ached. "You were the one who said you didn't want me."He immediately started crying. "I was just joking! How could you be so petty?"Those words were painfully familiar. He sounded just like Louise and Elaine. Even when they were the ones who hurt me, somehow, I was the petty and oversensitive one.I didn't try to comfort him. "Max, words can hurt if you're not careful with them. You can't erase that by calling it a joke."He cried even louder. "I'm telling Mom!""Okay," I said softly, then hung up.That night, I couldn't fall asleep. I admit, it still hurt. He was my son,

Chapter 10

Jack was the first to text me."Hey, Harlan. There's a huge fight going on at your place. I think Matthew hit Max."My fingers tightened around my phone when I read that.Soon, he sent me a voice message. In the background, Max was sobbing hysterically. Matthew's sharp voice followed."Enough with the crying! Do you think I'm like Harlan who's going to wait on you hand and foot every day? You're driving me crazy, you spoiled little brat!"Then I heard Elaine. "Matty, how could you hit him?"Matthew sneered. "Why can't I? I'm not his father. Besides, you're the ones who said it yourselves. Harlan is old, ugly, and embarrassing. Didn't you all hate him? Now you want me to play daddy? I don't need to do that!"My heart clenched. It hurt, yet there was something bitterly satisfying about it.It was proof that not everyone would cherish Max like he was the most important thing in the world the way I had."How dare you talk to me like that?" Elaine screamed."That's exactly how I'm

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