My Alleged Husband

Chapter 960: Chapter 853: Knowing the Truth

Old Master Zhang wondered what his grandson would think after learning this news. He knew exactly how much his grandson valued having his father by his side in this household. Yet, this is happening again. They plan to abandon the family once more, wandering the world outside—this time, they won’t return.

Old Master Zhang couldn’t fathom what his son was truly thinking deep inside. That was his son, after all! How could he bear to forsake this family over and over again?

Does every single person in this family really make him so unwilling to stay?

Perhaps that’s it. Everyone in this household has only brought him blows—interrogations like he’s some kind of criminal, over and over again.

Thinking about it now, maybe I don’t even deserve to be his father at all. Time after time, the only thing I’ve brought my son is pain—nothing else. It’s perfectly natural for him to be reluctant to come back to this family. What reason do I have to resent him? Time and time again, I’ve subjected him to grievances and trials. For so many years, he’s roamed the world, surviving God knows how. None of us cared to check up on him. Now that he’s finally decided to return to this home, hoping to live a steady, peaceful life, he’s faced yet another blow—this time, because of me. What should I do to keep him from being as headstrong as before, to ensure that he stays in this family, quietly accompanying everyone here, protecting those he should protect?

Xia Jing never imagined her husband would act this way, completely disregarding convention. She thought he was just talking, but now she realizes it wasn’t mere words! Everything her husband has done is for her. And yet, what has she given him in return? Just wound after wound, breaking his heart. But who could possibly understand the depth of her regret for her past actions?

There’s no such thing as regret medicine in this world. Once something’s been done, you’ll never truly deserve forgiveness. Even if someone says they forgive you, deep down, there’s always a knot that neither of you can untangle—a barrier that can’t be crossed for a lifetime. Wound after wound, the pain caused to each other just keeps accumulating. What exactly does such torment even mean?

”Dad, you’re overthinking it. I’ve never wished to leave this family. I just feel like my presence here has turned everything upside down, made everything chaotic. I don’t want everyone in the household to keep living this way. I want to return to all of you a peaceful life. That’s why I said such things. I hope you won’t mind. Every word I said was rooted in consideration for my son. Deep down, he truly cares about everyone in this family.

If he didn’t care about the people here, why would he choose to come back? Haven’t we suffered enough in this family? But we’ve never complained, because we know we must bear the consequences of our own mistakes. We can’t ask anyone to shoulder the weight of our sins for us. That’s why we’ve never begrudged anything. Anyone who sincerely allows us to return to this family—it’s the most beautiful thing for us in the world. We live so exhaustingly, time and time again, but what are we doing it for? Isn’t it all to let our loved ones live happy, joyful lives?

If the things he said today have caused any misunderstandings, I can apologize on his behalf. I hope you won’t drive him out of this family. It wasn’t easy for him to return here. Time and time again, he’s longed for his family’s forgiveness. But now that everyone has finally forgiven him, and he’s finally returned to this household, how could he genuinely wish to leave this family again? Leaving here would bring no benefit to any of us!”

When Zhang Yichen was in the hospital, Old Master Zhang called him. Upon hearing that his parents once again intended to leave, Yichen couldn’t figure out why. How could his parents disregard his feelings as their son so blatantly, time after time? In their eyes, what does he amount to as their son? Someone they can casually abandon? Even if we don’t have much time together, there should at least be some shred of affection, shouldn’t there? How could they still be like before, saying they’d forsake without hesitation, completely indifferent to whether I agree, to whether my heart breaks, to whether they’re trampling my trust in them again and again?

He desperately wanted to rush home and ask his parents why, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave the hospital now. If he left, his wife’s condition might change. He was afraid something might happen to her. His father was capable of abandoning the family for his mother—he only did that once. But why did this become an absolute necessity for him now? He wished his wife could be happy too and was willing to sacrifice everything for her sake. But he wouldn’t be selfish and self-serving like his father, giving up on the whole family just for his wife.

Old Master Zhang felt disappointed deep down when his grandson couldn’t come home. After all, it was his grandson. His grandson wasn’t even interfering anymore—so what role was left for him, as a grandfather? It seemed that maybe the pain inflicted by his parents on his grandson was simply too great. Time after time, why should his grandson keep making choices unlike anyone else’s because of them? Are his parents truly worth everything he’s done?

Zhang Zhentian never expected Xia Jing to plead for him in such a manner. Even if he left the family—so what? Leaving the family wouldn’t mean he was abandoning his wife. But the things his wife said today obviously showed she wouldn’t let him leave the family. She’d rather him go off alone in solitude than have her follow him away from it. Maybe this was the outcome she wanted most. The two of them had survived together hand-in-hand through countless storms over the years, never letting go of each other. Could they truly part now? Wouldn’t that be heartbreakingly cruel?