I looked at Joseph, at a loss for words.

I couldn't help but wonder if he had lost his mind. Did he realize how ridiculous he sounded?

Adam exclaimed in shock, "What nonsense are you spouting, Joseph? Wendy is married to Uncle Jonathan. The plant now belongs to him."

Back when Joseph disappeared, I sat alone on the aisle, dazed.

Everyone in town knew that my husband died on the way to our wedding. They cursed me for bringing bad luck to my husband and being an agent of misfortune.

Every word cut into me, making me shiver and unable to face them.

Jonathan Larkin was the one who stepped forward and said he was willing to marry me. He was the one who proved to them that I wasn't what they said.

Jonathan personally pulled me out of my despair. So why wouldn't I marry him?

Joseph mocked, saying, "Everyone knows Uncle Jonathan is a man of big dreams. A woman like Wendy would never be worth his time."

Jonathan was known to be a legend in the town. He once took a small amount of money and struck out for the big city on his own, securing deal after deal before returning to take over as the plant manager.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he had built half of the Larkin family's foundation. No one in the family dared to cross him.

To this day, I still couldn't understand why Jonathan had chosen me. After all, there were plenty of women far prettier and more capable than I was.

Adam was still trying to get Joseph to believe him. "Just ask Grandpa if you don't believe in me, Joseph."

Joseph scoffed disdainfully. He then stepped out to ask an elderly lady and a child. Both gave him the same answer.

His expression gradually darkened before turning around to glare at me. "You're really shameless, Wendy. I've only been away for a few years, yet you've bribed the entire town and even worked together to deceive me!"

I remained calm in my seat. I couldn't be bothered to waste my time arguing with him.

Everyone knew I married Jonathan. Whether Joseph believed it or not wasn't my concern. He had always been wild and unruly since he was young—a product of being spoiled to the core.

Worried that he might stir up more trouble pestering me, Adam hurried off to find someone else. "Go fetch Uncle Jonathan from downtown now! Get him back right now!"

Jonathan left for downtown early in the morning to check the plant's sales figures, and both Mr. Larkin Senior and Lisa were also out.

Otherwise, Joseph would never have had the chance to raise his voice at me here.

Just as the tension was growing thicker, my son, Bobby Larkin, suddenly ran over. "Come play with me, Mommy!"

Joseph completely lost it the moment he saw Bobby.

His bloodshot eyes flicked back and forth between me and Bobby. After all, Bobby was practically a miniature version of me—only in the form of a young boy.

With a trembling hand, Joseph remarked accusingly. "You even went and had a bastard child! Tell me, whose brat is this?"

Although Bobby couldn't understand what Joseph meant, he could feel Joseph's animosity.

He puffed out his chest and planted himself right in front of me. "Who are you calling a bastard child? Daddy says anyone with a filthy mouth is just begging for a beating!"

Bobby was only six years old. He had never met Joseph before.

Joseph instinctively snapped back at him. "How dare you talk back to me, you bastard child!"

My anger flared.

Bobby was the son whom I carried to full term and brought into this world. I didn't spoil him rotten, and he wasn't someone Joseph could just curse at.

"Watch your words, Joseph! Otherwise, you'll regret it!" I said.

The malice in Mabel's eyes was evident as she smiled. "This child seemed old enough. Don't tell me you've already had him before you got married to Joseph?"

Her accusation was purely baseless.

Joseph got even more livid at that, and his gaze sent daggers.

Nothing enraged a man more than the thought of being cheated on, especially by a woman who once worshipped the ground he walked on.

I shot Mabel a glance and replied, "He's six."

Joseph exclaimed, "Have you no shame, Wendy? I was only gone for a few years—seven, at most—and you already have a six-year-old son?"

Seven years, at most?

We had only known each other for a few years. How many years would I have to wait in my lifetime?

Besides, Joseph was the one who betrayed me first.

Adam anxiously explained, "You're probably unaware of this, Joseph, but this is Uncle Jonathan's son!"

Joseph shoved Adam away. "Shut the hell up! Whose side are you on, anyway? Who exactly did you cheat on me with? He's definitely asking for death!"

But no matter what, he couldn't come up with a single suspect.

I let out a cold chuckle.

Mabel put on a fake look of concern. "Why don't you just come clean, Wendy? There's nothing I can do to help you if you push Joseph too far."

I rolled my eyes. "Who are you putting an act for? Don't think I don't know what's on your mind."

As soon as I spoke, a sharp slap landed hard on my cheek.

Joseph yelled, "Shut up! Not only did you not feel remorse for cheating behind my back, but you're even scolding Mabel now?"

My cheek swelled up immediately.

Seeing that I was slapped, Bobby lunged forward to bite and kick Joseph. "How dare you hit Mommy? I'll beat you up!"

"Bobby!" I cried.

Joseph easily picked Bobby up with an arm, causing my heart to skip a beat. "Put him down, Joseph!"

Shocked, Adam hurriedly tried to bring Bobby down to safety. "Put him down, Joseph! Uncle Jonathan won't forgive you if Bobby's hurt!"

Everyone in town knew how much Jonathan had doted on Bobby—he wouldn't even scold Bobby.

However, Joseph chuckled coldly. "Get out of the way if you don't want to get hurt! I'm going to teach this mother and her son a lesson today!"

My chest tightened. "What are you trying to do, Joseph?"

Joseph's expression darkened as the tension thickened. "You cheated behind my back and even had a kid.

"By law, I can kick you out of the Larkin family without giving you a cent. I can even make you pay for damages!"

The problem was that I never married Joseph in the first place.

I couldn't bear standing by any longer and yelled angrily, "How could you say that I cheated when we never got married, Joseph? Put Bobby down now!"

Despite dangling in the air, Bobby continued punching and kicking at Joseph without a trace of fear.

Despite the arrival of his relatives, no one dared to raise a hand against Joseph, afraid that he might lose control. They could only plead with him, but he remained contemptuous.

"I'll deal with this bastard child first, and then I'll come back to teach you a lesson." He then grabbed Bobby by the collar and dragged him out.

Everyone exchanged glances, but no one moved to stop Joseph. Eventually, Adam was the one to block his way.

Joseph's face fell immediately. "How dare you block my way!"

Adam broke out in a cold sweat, but forced himself to remain calm. "Don't be impulsive, Joseph! Put the child down first!"

While Joseph was being held back, I lunged to grab Bobby back.

However, Mabel reached out to grab my arm. She looked smug when she said, "What are you trying to do, Wendy? Don't make trouble for yourself!"

I slapped her hard. "I'll make sure both of you regret it if something happens to my son!"

Mabel fell to the ground hard. She hit her head on the table corner and started bleeding.

Joseph saw red. He directed all his fury at Bobby. "You bitch! How dare you bully Mabel! I'll beat this bastard child to death today!"

He hoisted Bobby up, looking as if he was about to slam him into the ground.

I could barely breathe as I instinctively rushed over. "Bobby!"

Although Bobby was brave, he was still a child. He started crying out of fear.

Joseph snarled, "Get out of my way! I'll deal with you later!"

I clung to Bobby, not letting go no matter what he did.

Finally, Joseph lost control and kicked me in the chest. His brute force had me breathing with difficulty.

Everyone rushed forward to pull him off, but he threw them off in a fit of rage.

"Please stop hitting her, Joseph. That's your uncle's wife!" Adam said.

Despite being surrounded, Joseph still lunged forward, trying to hit me.

At that moment, a cold voice cut through the doorway. "What's going on here? You'd better explain yourself."