Chapter 1

The moment my stepson got early admission to an Ivy League university, he publicly severed all ties with me.

"I have my own real dad. You're just a home-wrecking third party who ruined my parents' marriage."

Kicked out of his graduation party, I wandered the streets in a daze and got struck by a speeding truck.

Before drawing my last breath, I heard him tell his mother:

"Don't bother calling an ambulance. If he dies, we can collect a massive insurance payout."

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the summer after his middle school graduation.

1

Relatives and friends were crowding around to congratulate me.

My stepson, Toby, had just scored the highest marks in the county, earning a spot at the top magnet high school, and I was hosting a celebration banquet for him.

Guests chatted over dinner, praising Toby and tossing compliments my way for raising such a brilliant kid.

Dressed from head to toe in the latest designer sports gear I had bought him, Toby smirked at me with sheer contempt in his eyes.

He muttered under his breath:

"You're completely useless, so you have to leech off my success to look good. If I stop studying, let's see what you'll use to show off."

"Just wait. Next time, I'll deliberately fail my exams and watch my mom put you in your place."

His bitter words echoed in my ears, sending a sudden wave of vertigo washing over me.

Looking at his smug face, the gruesome memory of being crushed by that truck flashed across my mind.

A surge of monstrous hatred rose from the depths of my chest.

Noticing my distant look, my sister-in-law, Rachel, spoke up:

"Garrett, high school is the most crucial phase. You can't slack off on Toby's education. My sister handed an Ivy League prospect over to you, so you must rent an apartment near his school and cater to him full-time for the next three years."

Before I could even reply, Toby snapped rudely right in her face:

"Stay out of our business! I don't want him tagging along to baby me. I'm living in the dorms. Who the hell wants to be stuck with him every single day?"

Rachel hastily shot him a warning glare and scolded:

"You ungrateful boy, can't you tell I'm looking out for you? Your dad was a top student back in the day. High school is brutal. How could cafeteria slop compare to your dad's cooking, and how could a cramped dorm beat a nice rental?"

Snapping back to reality, I watched the aunt and nephew playing their little routine and sneered internally.

"He's not my dad! He's just a home-wrecker who broke up my parents. My real dad is Derek, not him!"

Toby held his head high, loudly correcting his aunt.

The entire banquet hall fell dead silent as everyone turned to look at me with curiosity, pity, and mockery.

Yet not a single person spoke up to reprimand the golden boy who had just brought home top honors.

Rachel watched me with an amused smirk.

There was a gloating gleam in her eyes, as if waiting for a good show.

In her eyes, my wife's ex-husband, Derek, was ten times the man I was.