My Alleged Husband

Chapter 959: Chapter 852 Abandoning This Home

In truth, Old Master Zhang had never truly considered the possibility that his son would one day give up on this family.

Now, he couldn’t even tell whether what he had done was right or wrong. He was the one who instilled these beliefs in his son. He was the one who personally raised and educated him into the man he is today. But now that his son has made this decision, who is there to blame? If anyone is to be blamed, it can only be himself for steering his son’s upbringing in the wrong direction back then. He didn’t know how to talk to his son in a way that would change the current state of things. Time and time again, he found himself at a loss on how to communicate with his son. He had given everything, all for the simple wish that his son could be happy, could live contentedly. But in the end, all he received in return was his son misinterpreting him again and again. His son had never truly understood how hard it was for him as a father.

”I have to admit, you are my son. Now that you’ve come to such realizations, as your father, of course I feel gratified. But no matter what, you are still the child I personally raised. To hear you say words like these now—doesn’t it torment me deeply as a father? I also wanted you to bear your responsibilities, but if your idea of responsibility is to leave the people at home, oh heavens, do you think that’s truly responsibility? Teacher Li pushed every single person in this family to the brink, step by step. And you, you always believe that every decision you make is correct. But have you ever considered that your decisions bring sadness to the people at home? You’ve forgotten that your family still exists in this world. You’ve already cast your family aside. Deep in your heart, nothing is more important than your own pursuits, right?

When you kept saying, time after time, that you wanted to leave this home and venture out, we already knew— even if your body remained in this house, your heart was never really here. Deep in your soul, it has always been the outside world that matters. Your soul doesn’t belong to this home.

I really want to know, now that you’ve made this choice, how do you expect your son to feel when he comes back? How do you expect him to accept his father abandoning him again? You know better than anyone how much he longs for his father to stay by his side. And yet, here you are, making decision after decision like this. What place have you left him in? Do you think his heart won’t be tormented just as deeply?

I’ve repeated countless times, ”You are my son.” I’ve said it no fewer than ten times. Even now, I still hope you’ll take a good, hard look at your actions. Is what you’re doing truly right? Will it bring your family joy and happiness? If everything you’ve done only brings harm and pain to this family, then let me tell you—you’ve succeeded. You’ve achieved your goal. Every single person in this household is heartbroken because of what you’ve done. So go ahead. You don’t need to tiptoe around or feel lost like before. You can now boldly do whatever you please, because there’s no one left who will stop you. After all, in your heart, it’s only them, and there’s no room for us—your family.

Your love for your wife, I can understand. I truly can. But loving your wife doesn’t mean you have to take her away and run off together. It doesn’t mean catering to her every whim, considering only her feelings. If only you gave her just a little more care, a little more time with her every day, the outcome could’ve been entirely different. But you’ve forgotten that real love and commitment to family lies in being present for them.

A decision made rashly, without thought, won’t have anyone supporting it. Maybe you think what you’ve decided now is the most correct course of action. But the day will come when you realize that every one of your actions was wrong. That’s because what you’ve done has hurt everyone who loves you most.

Sometimes I genuinely want to urge you—when doing something, can’t you think things through first? Can’t you consider how your family might feel? But I don’t even know how to begin explaining this to you. All of this happened because I, as your father, failed to guide you properly. It’s my lack of teaching that allowed you to fall into these misconceptions, making you believe every decision you make is right. But is it really? Is every single thing you’ve done truly correct? You’ve forgotten the fundamental core of human decency. You’ve erased every lesson your family ever taught you. All you remember is that you have a wife, and you’re willing to sacrifice everything for her. But guess what—she also hopes you’d stay with this family, and I too hope all of you could stay here, living together. But your actions, they leave me so utterly disappointed!

I’ve thought about it before—I would rather not have a son like you. I wanted to erase you completely from my memory. I’ve forced myself to act out rituals to let you go again and again. But in the end, all of it was just lying to myself, deceiving myself. You are rooted so deeply in my mind that, no matter how hard I try, I can’t erase my own son. After all the hardship of raising you, how could I ever truly forget you?

I just wish that, sometimes, when you make decisions, you could consider your family’s difficulties more. Think about what consequences your actions bring to the people at home. I don’t know how to explain this to you. But do you know how your actions make your family feel, again and again? You didn’t think about your son, and you didn’t think about me, your father. You act willfully, stubbornly believing every decision you make is worthwhile. But you’ve forgotten your family. And because of this, your family has suffered deeply. You’ve never cared who gets hurt as long as it isn’t your wife, as long as it isn’t yourself. To you, that’s all that matters. But are we not your family too?”

”I haven’t—I have never thought that way. Deep in my heart, you have always been my family. That’s an unchangeable truth. You know how much I’ve wanted happiness and joy for everyone in this family. Was that wrong?

Father, have you ever thought about this: when I bear all the blame and all the pain alone, isn’t my own heart tormented too? You’re my own father, yet you don’t understand me. You’ve pinned all the faults on me, your son. My heart aches just the same. But all I could do is choose to endure it silently, without complaint...”