My Alleged Husband

Chapter 548: Chapter 527: Impossible_1

Zhang Zhentian was stunned silence for a long time upon hearing those words from his son. He couldn’t believe his own father’s health could deteriorate to such a state. How could just a few provocative words from him trigger a heart attack in his father, and how could his father possibly be diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer? He couldn’t accept that the world could be so unfair. Although he hadn’t been home for many years, he knew how much his father missed him. That’s precisely why he couldn’t bring himself to return to his father’s side—he couldn’t bear letting his father down over and over again, only to lead to despair.

He didn’t ask for much now, just hoping for one more chance from heaven, to let his father live on safely, without the torment of illness, to be happy and content. That would be enough for him as a son. But was heaven really just?

Everyone says that you reap what you sow—that the world operates on the principle of karmic cycles. But is that really the case? How you treat your father is ultimately repaid unto you, isn’t it? Having done so many wrongs to his own biological father, why pretend today that he wishes for his father’s peace and safety? Isn’t he speaking against his conscience?

Zhang Zhentian’s heart was filled with regret. He had been so focused on chasing the one he loved that he forgot how he should have been there for his father, ensuring his health and happiness. He had never fulfilled his duties as a son, nor the responsibilities of a father. Only now did he realize how insignificant all these seemed in his eyes. Despite all his mistakes, why did his father still shower him with so much love?

Memories of his life from childhood until the day he left home played repeatedly in his mind. Flashes of every moment passed quickly through his thoughts, but what stood out the most was his father’s selfless love, even to the extent of risking his life. At that time, his heart had felt numb; he didn’t understand what it meant, nor did he realize it was a father’s love for his child. He had always thought he was entitled to it and never once thought that it could vanish from the world one day, leaving him with no chance to experience it again. He had never once contemplated or feared the loss of any of it!

It was not until today when his son spoke to him from the heart that he discovered his own fears. He used to fear nothing and no one, but now he was scared. The most terrifying thing for him was the prospect of one day losing his father. He knew he couldn’t bear such pain, even though he had hardly contacted his father over the years, the fact remained—he couldn’t possibly forget that they were bound by blood. He knew the mistakes he made were his own to atone; no one else could do it for him. Only by accepting them could he hope to return to square one, as if it had never happened at all.

She was entangled in her thoughts for a very long time, still unable to believe her father could succumb to such a deadly illness. In her heart, her father was invincible. He had achieved great business success, commanding respect and submission from everyone. Yet now, why was fate playing such a cruel trick, afflicting her father with such an illness? Was it a punishment because her father had outshone others in his youth? But everything she had achieved step by step was built with her own hands. She had started from scratch and founded a company. And now, to have heaven wantonly strip away his life, how could she bear such a blow? Her once proud father was now gray-haired, his face lined with wrinkles, yet she had callously refused him time and again. He had invited her to return home, time after time, and she had repelled him with harsh words, leaving him sick in the hospital, without ever stepping foot to visit him as a son.

She could never fathom how she could be so heartless, to disregard even the life and death of her own father. It had never been like this. When had she become so cold? Even she didn’t know. It always seemed like the world was changing, and she remained the same, yet looking back, she realized that everything in the world was unchanged—it was she who had changed all along, becoming numb and indifferent, no longer valuing kinship, having given up on family ties. If that was the case, what right did she have to talk about any of this?

After some thought, he considered asking his wife if they should go see his father...

”Didn’t I tell you not to call if there’s nothing urgent? We should be strangers from now on; weren’t we supposed to cut all ties? Why did you suddenly call today? Didn’t you take any of my words to heart?”

”Xia Jing, I really don’t know what to do now. My son told me that my father has late-stage lung cancer. I feel like I’m about to collapse. I can’t accept this. Despite all the unpleasantness I’ve had with my father, he’s still my biological father. How could my heart not be moved? I want to go see him, and I want you to come with me, okay? For my father, the thing he wishes for the most is happiness for our family. He’s old now and can’t withstand any more blows. I know you won’t make such a sacrifice for me, but I hope you’ll consider my father’s well-being and make this compromise. Come with me to the hospital to give him some comfort. That way, he might be more willing to undergo treatment, right? I believe that with our company, he will surely recover and be discharged from the hospital soon. My father has always been better to you than to me, his own son, so please, for the sake of old times, extend your help to me and to my sick father!”

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