That night, I sat in the shop until daybreak without receiving a single word of concern from Cindy.

She didn't saunter in until the breakfast rush was long over, and the first thing she did was chew me out.

"It's late—why haven't you opened the shop yet? What's the point of having you here to watch over the place?"

Her tone made it sound as if I owed her and that I deserved nothing better than to slave away for her.

For the past three years, she and I had been running a bakery together.

Every day, before dawn even broke, I had to start kneading dough and then make all the baked goods. All these heavy, grueling tasks had always fallen on me. Cindy only had to come in and man the cashier.

But today, all of a sudden, I just didn't want to go on like this anymore.

I blinked my dry, stinging eyes and let out a soft, bitter laugh, my gaze settling indifferently on her.

"From now on, you can do all this yourself. The bakery is in your name anyway, so it has nothing to do with me."

Cindy froze, as if she hadn't expected me to say such a thing.

Suddenly, an innocent-sounding voice came from behind her, but every word was laced with malice toward me.

"Uncle Gary, if you won't even do the baking, then why are you still clinging to Aunt Cindy? My teacher said that lazy, good-for-nothing people like you are a drain on society!"

I looked over and saw Kevin walking into the shop, holding Andy's hand on one side and Cindy's on the other.

In that moment, the three of them looked just like a family.

Andy looked at me apologetically and said cautiously, "Gary, don't be angry with Cindy. I know it's all my fault—I'm the reason you two are fighting. I'll figure out another way to get Kevin into school, and I'll transfer the deed back to you too. I won't be in your hair anymore."

Before he could finish, Cindy cut him off. "No, I won't allow it!"

She looked at Andy with all the tenderness in the world, but when her gaze turned to me, it was ice-cold and full of impatience.

"If anyone should leave, it's you, Gary. The house has nothing to do with you now, and this shop isn't in your name either. I've been more than kind enough to give you a place to stay, so don't be so ungrateful. Are you determined to destroy this family before you're satisfied?"

Those words jolted through me like an electric shock. My eyes reddened, and I said nothing more.

With a bitter smile, I tore my gaze away from Cindy. But my heart had already sunk into the pit of my stomach.

Just then, Cindy suddenly let out a dry heave.

Kevin immediately burst out laughing. "Daddy, look! The baby in Aunt Cindy's belly is acting up again. Hurry up and comfort her."

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around in disbelief, only to see Cindy's face glowing with maternal radiance, while Andy looked surprised and delighted.

In the three years we'd been married, Cindy and I had never had a child.

It wasn't that I didn't want to, but rather that Cindy took every possible precaution, going to extreme lengths with contraception and never giving me the slightest chance to get her pregnant.

It finally dawned on me now that I was simply never worthy, and the only man she would ever bear a child for was Andy.

"Who's the father of this child?" I asked through gritted teeth.

Annoyed, Cindy shoved me, sending me stumbling to the ground.

I slammed my lower back heavily against the dining table, and a wave of searing pain shot through my entire body.

She brushed past me impatiently and walked out of the bakery. Then, as if afraid I lacked the sense to read the room, she even reminded me, "This is none of your business! Know your place and take good care of Andy and Kevin."

After Cindy left, Andy put on a smug, triumphant look and started ordering me around with an arrogant, condescending air.

"Pour me a glass of water! Give me a shoulder massage!"

Seeing that I remained unmoved, he gnashed his teeth in hatred.

Suddenly, a rat scurried out, startling him. Kevin was so frightened that he fell to the ground and started wailing at the top of his lungs.

Just then, I felt a tremendous force hit me.

A sharp, crisp sound of a slap echoed throughout the bakery. My vision went black, and a deafening roar filled my ears. Then came a numbing and searing pain across my cheek.

The whole world seemed to fall silent.

I turned my head and saw Cindy, her face dark and stormy.

"I told you to take good care of Andy and Kevin. Did my words just go in one ear and out the other?"

As Cindy berated me, utterly convinced of her own righteousness, something inside me snapped, and I abruptly burst out laughing. But as the laughter escaped, tears fell right along with it.

I was about to speak, but Andy beat me to it.

"Gary, I know you don't like Kevin and me, but if you have to make things difficult, just take it out on me alone. Kevin's just a kid—he doesn't understand anything."

Cindy's expression grew even darker at these words. She held Kevin in her arms, comforting him.

Hiding behind her, Andy shot me a taunting and venomous grin. He was getting back at me for refusing to do as I was told earlier.

Cindy didn't want to hear my explanation either. She simply grabbed me by the arm and roughly dragged me out of the bakery.

"Since you can't stand Andy and Kevin, why don't you just get lost and find somewhere else to live?"

I could help but let out a cold snort. "Let's just get a divorce then. That way, I can make room for Andy, and he can live with you openly."

Cindy's eyes flickered guiltily, and she fell silent.

However, I knew she was tempted.

From behind her, Andy emerged, sobbing theatrically.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have shown up and ruined your marriage. Stop fighting because of me. I'll leave right now and take Kevin with me."

But just as he took Kevin's hand, he suddenly clutched his stomach and cried out in pain.

"My stomach hurts so much! Am I sick?"

In a panic, Cindy shoved me aside, and I slammed into a lamppost by the roadside. The back of my head swelled up high, and I was dizzy and disoriented.

I watched as she anxiously rushed off with Andy, without sparing me even a single glance.

My vision slowly faded to black as I lay by the roadside for what felt like forever. My head felt heavy, and I couldn't pull myself together or find the strength to move.

In the end, it was a kind passerby who helped me up.

I called Cindy countless times, but she never picked up.

I dragged myself home and began packing up my clothes.

Suddenly, the door lock turned, and Cindy pushed the door open.

She helped Andy in, and the way they exchanged glances was so intimate it was almost tangible. If the sound of me dragging my suitcase hadn't startled them, they probably would've been kissing already.

Cindy frowned and cast a cold glance at me.

"Who said you could come back? I should call the police and have you arrested for trespassing."

When I heard this, I gritted my teeth so hard they almost shattered. A faint metallic taste of blood spread across my tongue.

"Am I not even allowed to get my things?"

Andy immediately shot Kevin a look, and the latter instantly threw a tantrum, screaming, "Of course not! Who knows what you've stolen from my house!"

He then lunged at me and grabbed my arm, biting down hard.

Reacting to the pain, I instinctively pushed him away.

Kevin fell to the floor and wailed, "Uncle Gary is a thief! All he does is steal things and hit people!"

"Kevin, how can you call your Uncle Gary a thief? It's your own fault for not listening and making him angry. Even if he beat you to death, you'd only have yourself to blame. Gary, if you're still upset, just hit me instead. I promise not to put up a fight."

Andy acted like he was telling Kevin off but he was actually just making things worse.

Cindy pulled them both protectively into her arms. Then, she shot me a look of pure hatred, as if she wanted to flay and devour me.

She held up her phone and furiously berated me.

"Apologize to Kevin and Andy right now! Otherwise, don't blame me for calling the police. I'll see to it that you spend the rest of your life rotting behind bars!"

I let out a miserable laugh. The last flicker of hope in my heart had finally gone out.

I fixed Cindy with a cold stare and smirked with disdain. "Go ahead and call the police. Let's see who actually ends up getting hauled away."

Enraged by my attitude, Cindy viciously grabbed me by the throat. An overwhelming sense of suffocation washed over me. It was so intense that I felt as if I was about to die.

When she finally let go, I collapsed to my knees, gasping greedily for air.

"Gary, I'm giving you one last chance," she warned icily.

She grabbed me by the hair and dragged me in front of Andy and Kevin. The pain was so unbearable that I couldn't stop my tears from falling.

Kevin leaned in and whispered into my ear, "Uncle Gary, no matter what you say, I'll never forgive you. You're getting out of this house, one way or another."

Andy remained silent, yet he looked down on me with a smug, triumphant gleam in his eyes.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Hello, is Mr. Sampson home?"

I slowly stood up and said calmly, "You don't have to call the police, because I've already called them for you."