Rise and shine

Chapter 1

Tom POV.

The best way to seek revenge doesn't involve violence or physical fights. Instead, the real power lies in causing emotional distress to your adversaries, catching them off guard with unexpected actions that leave them shaken. Show them that you are capable of achieving great things, making them feel small and regretful.

 

Make them beg for forgiveness and apologize continuously. But most importantly, don't give them the comfort of forgiveness. This is my mission, my unwavering purpose. My revenge.

*****

A flashback from five years ago.

Kneeling down has become a familiar position for me. Within this family, I find myself trapped, unable to survive independently. I lack any place to turn to, devoid of any other family to seek solace from.

 

"Please, allow me to stay. I promise I will repay your money," I pleaded desperately.

"You have brought disgrace upon us, and it's impossible for you to repay such a sum, given your impoverished state," my father-in-law sneered.

"You are no longer welcome in this family," my mother-in-law interjected firmly.

"Why didn't you conduct your due diligence before squandering $400,000?" he groaned. The money itself was not the issue; I knew he could easily recoup that amount in a mere month. It was me they didn't want.

"I did my research. I... I don't know what went wrong. I was certain before investing," I stammered.

"Perhaps your certainty was misplaced. You are destitute and will remain so," he spat. "I don't want you here anymore. Leave, and never return."

"Please, I implore you, Ariana, please beg your father. I will find a way to recover the money," I cried out.

"I am well aware that you married our daughter solely for financial gain right from the beginning. I know you don't love her, and now I witness you on your knees, terrified of leaving the family," mother-in-law declared compelling me to kneel before her.

 

"I love her, and she knows it. We truly share a deep bond," I asserted, but their response was a chorus of laughter. I wished I possessed the strength to suppress my tears, but they flowed uncontrollably.

Even my son, Liam, joined in the crying, intensifying my sense of humiliation. "As a man, you shouldn't rely on others for your existence," Aiden, the eldest and most arrogant among them, commented.

 

Under different circumstances, his audacity would have provoked laughter from me. They were the most parasitic individuals I had ever encountered, unable to function without their father's support.

"I will proceed with the divorce procedures," he uttered the words I dreaded hearing.

 

The truth was, I had nowhere else to go. I was homeless, an orphanage, I don't even know my parents, I lived with Grandma untill she died, that when I was 6years.

 

I felt utterly worthless. Perhaps I was the epitome of a parasitic being. In that moment, tears streaming down my face, I crawled toward him, pleading,

"I will do anything. I'll work as your maid. Please don't do this." My face was soaked with tears as I continued to beg. "You are an absolute disgrace to me," Ariana remarked.

I couldn't fathom that she would utter such words, especially considering she had stood by my side throughout this entire ordeal. "Please, Ariana, implore your father on my behalf," I turned to her, desperate for her support.

"You are nothing more than a pathetic and foolish individual. I regret the day I married you. I had hoped that someday you would transform into a respectable person. Instead, you remain stagnant, like dirty water that never flows," she yelled. And she said all of this in front of our four-year-old son.

"Mom," Liam whimpered. "Don't become like your father," she told him.

 

"Mom," he repeated.

 

"I warned you before that he was just a lowlife who could only find wealth if he were thrown into a house filled with riches," mother-in-law added.

 

"Begging throughout this year won't change my mind. I will proceed with the divorce. Sign the papers, and you'll receive a meager amount," he declared, rising to leave. I clung onto his leg with all my might.

 

"Please, I'll find a way out and repay your money,"

I pleaded, but he remained unmoved. At that moment, Aiden stepped on my hand, causing me to lose my grip on his leg.

 

He applied force and whispered into my ear, "Do you think you're clever? Look at where you are now. You should have been a dutiful son-in-law, not indulging in idle daydreams." His words stung as he increased the pressure on my hand.

 

 

"Dad," Liam said, pushing Aiden away and kneeling beside me.

"This foolish..." Aiden muttered, kicking Liam aside while his father simply observed. The rest of the family found the spectacle amusing, with Ariana sitting idly by, witnessing her child's suffering.

 

"And mind you, your son is following you," those words echoed in my mind. Oh no, Liam following me would only lead to his life being turned upside down. In that moment, I forgot about my own struggles.

 

"Please, Mother, don't do this," I pleaded.

"That is precisely what I intend to do, and you are powerless to stop it," she affirmed.

"Ariana, please say something!" I cried out.

"Anything I say will only inflict more pain upon you," she yelled, storming out of the room. "He's our son!" I exclaimed.

"You are his father, and it is your responsibility," she retorted, leaving me and my son alone in the room.

 

I remained on my knees, determined to stay in that position until they reconsidered. 

 

If I were to depart now, I would be reduced to nothing more than a beggar.

 

I couldn't bear the thought of my son following that path. And so, we stayed in the sitting room together for the entire day.