My Alleged Husband

Chapter 957: Chapter 850: Have You Decided?

Old Master Zhang never imagined that his daughter-in-law would ultimately make such a decision. Back then, they had exhausted all their resources, stopped at nothing to return to this home. Now, they had finally come back to this home, but over such a small twist of fate, she chose to leave. Was it really his fault? Had he truly made a mistake in forcing them time and again?

But thinking back, every single action he had taken, every ounce of harm done to the family—it was impossible to forget. These wounds had always stayed deep in his heart, unchanged, etched into his mind time and time again. All of it had been inflicted upon him by them. So why had he repeatedly shown them mercy? Was it simply because he was their father?

”When you said those words today, does that mean your mind is made up, or are you just acting on impulse? I hope before making any decisions, you think thrice and act wisely. Don’t rush headlong into things like in the past. Do you think that every time you make a mistake, no one will blame you? Over and over again, you believe that when you realize your mistake and decide to return, others will unequivocally forgive you every time?

In truth, you know better than anyone else that this is not possible. No one would tolerate it the way you are imagining. Every single thing you do—you ought to reflect on its consequences. What kind of harm does it bring to your family? Are you truly justified in thinking your actions are honorable? You always believe you are acting out of righteousness, but who could know that your actions only deepen others’ suffering, leaving them in impossible predicaments?”

Zhang Zhentian, every decision you make today, I hope you’ve thought carefully before making it. Otherwise, you’ll definitely regret it later. If today you choose to leave this family, then you’ll never have any chance to step foot through this door again.

Think about it carefully. Is there truly no fault in what you’ve done? Don’t always believe that we falsely accuse you. If there is genuinely no error in your actions, how could anyone falsely blame you so easily? Reflect on the mistakes you’ve made—what are they? What have you treated everyone in this family as?

I once had great hopes for you. I always thought as long as I treated you sincerely and welcomed you wholeheartedly back into this home, you’d repent with genuine remorse. You wouldn’t be like this, making everyone uncomfortable. But in the end, what was the outcome? Did you ever allow me to return? You didn’t. You kept thinking of ways to push me away, time and time again. Do you consider me your father at all?

The harm you’ve caused everyone in this family—perhaps I could leave it in the past, act as if it never happened. Because to me, you are still my son, no matter what. As long as you are willing to come back home, the door to this family will always be open to you. But after all that’s happened, I take back every decision I’ve made. If you truly choose to leave this home, then leave and never come back. Once you leave, there will be no reason to return. Do you think that after leaving, you’ll be able to come back? Do you believe the door to this family will still open for you after you’ve left? Making mistakes repeatedly is one thing; persisting in them is the ultimate taboo.”

How could Zhang Zhentian not realize that his father was subtly trying to persuade him to stay? But if he truly chose to stay now, his wife would leave him. How should he decide? What he wanted was for everyone to stay together. He couldn’t let his wife leave so senselessly. If it truly came down to one person having to leave, he would rather choose to leave himself. Although he longed to remain in this home to care for his father and protect his son, he couldn’t let his wife wander outside alone while he stayed here indifferently.

”Dad, you know how much I love my wife. For her sake, I would even give up my life. If today, you ask me to stay here, but she leaves, how am I supposed to go on living? Over ten years of companionship, decades of solidarity and interdependence—do you understand that feeling? We’ve always wandered outside; we’ve never had a real home. Back then, we treated everywhere as our home, wherever we stopped.”

All those years, I yearned to have a home, longed for my father to let me stay at home. But in the end, every wish was shattered; even the last shred of hope was extinguished!

Sometimes, I don’t even know how to live in this society anymore. I don’t know how to face the world. I’ve been terrified—I’ve withdrawn, closed off from everything. I fear that everyone in this world will abandon me, because I’ve already been abandoned time and time again. You’re my father; of all people, you should understand my feelings. I’ve been abandoned in this family before.

You all should understand my feelings, shouldn’t you? Everything is inseparable from the actions of each person in this family. All this pain has been inflicted on me collectively by everyone here. How could I easily forget all the things you’ve done? What I desire is very simple now—so little. Time and again, each hope has been shattered. I’ve grown numb. I don’t care who asks me to leave this home anymore. I also don’t care if it’s me leaving. What I care about is the wife who has been by my side all these years—can she be happy every day? All I want is her smile; I have no other requests.

Maybe in your eyes, you believe I’m an unfilial son. Why, after all this, am I still so stubborn? Why do I continue to treat my wife as the most important person in my life, using her as an excuse to hurt everyone in this family? But do you think I have a choice? In any case, I will never abandon my wife to return to this home. That would be far too selfish.

Yes, I have always been selfish by nature. But no matter how selfish I am, I would never stoop to the point where I could casually abandon my wife!”