I was the heir to a wealthy family, yet my biological parents were drowning in debt and living on the streets.

Out of pity for them, I decided to give up my status as a young heir and care for my family. To help them live better lives, I worked three jobs, working myself to the bone.

But one day, I discovered the truth. Their so-called "bankruptcy" was a lie. They had been living a life of luxury all along. To make matters worse, my fiancée had already gotten involved with my younger brother. I was heartbroken and devastated.

I decided to return to my foster father and seek his help. To get revenge for me, he ruined my biological parents' business, bringing them down for good.

I was an heir to a great fortune, but my biological parents were deeply in debt, living on the streets. My younger brother had even been so severely beaten by creditors that he was now paralyzed.

I pitied them, so I made the decision to give up my life as a wealthy heir that my foster parents had given me.

To pay off debts, my fiancée was forced to sing at nightclubs, often groped by men. Meanwhile, I took on three jobs. I served tables in the morning and worked as a delivery guy in the evening, working myself to the bone.

One day, I was hired to move mannequins, and it brought me to a luxurious bridal shop. In the VIP room, I found my supposedly paralyzed younger brother in the arms of my fiancée, both of them kissing. And standing beside them, clapping and smiling approvingly, were my biological parents. They were at a wedding shop, happily picking out a wedding dress, as if everything was fine.

I couldn't believe it. I immediately called Solomon Reed, my foster father. "Dad, I made a huge mistake," I said.

Solomon sighed heavily on the other end of the line, his voice shaky with emotion. "You brat. Wait for me. I'll be there to pick you up."

-

I set the phone down, my teeth gritted. I could only stare at the happy scene in front of me.

Giselle Schneider, smiling brightly, was leaning into my brother, Kevin Sullivan's, arms. My father was pulling out his credit card to pay for the dress, without a second thought.

I rubbed my eyes, hoping this was just a nightmare, but the reality of it all hit me. I had been tricked. My family wasn't living in poverty, and they certainly weren't living on the streets, facing constant bullying.

My heart raced with anger as I realized what had happened.

At that moment, the team leader of the moving crew kicked me hard in the back.

"What are you standing around for? Get to work!" he barked. "If you delay this any longer, you won't get paid today!"

The force of the kick made me stumble forward, and it only made me see the scene more clearly.

I was holding the mannequin so tightly it creaked under the pressure, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the sight of the people I had once trusted.

My mother, who had claimed to be looking for me for years, had never cared about me. My fiancée, who had urged me not to forget the "sacrifices" my biological parents had made, was in on it all along.

I couldn't understand why they had gone so far. Why did they lie to me when there was no real debt to pay?

My thoughts were a tangled mess, and the crew leader impatiently kicked me again, his eyes full of disdain.

"What are you doing just standing there? You could never afford these wedding dresses no matter how hard you worked!"

Ignoring his words, I lowered my head and sent my location to Solomon.

But just then, the moving crew leader noticed the deformed mannequin in my hands and flew into a rage. He shoved me hard to the ground, and before I could react, my head slammed against the glass, blood pouring from the wound.

It was then that the people in the VIP room noticed me.

"Darling!" my fiancée screamed, her voice filled with panic.

I instinctively pressed my hand to my forehead to stop the bleeding, but the next moment, I saw her rush to Kevin, hiding in his arms.

She wasn't calling out to me.

In that moment, it felt like my heart had been crushed, like all the life had drained out of me.

The crew leader carefully set the mannequin down, then raised his fist and stormed toward me, shouting curses.

"Idiot, what's your problem? Do you know how much I'm losing because of you? You're broke. Why are you looking at rich women like you think you're some kind of wealthy heir?"

The loud commotion caught the attention of everyone in the room.

My father, dressed in an expensive suit, walked over and looked down at me. "What's this mess? You look ridiculous!"

It was a bitter, mocking question.

If it hadn't been for my attempt to "pay off their debts", would I have aged so fast, becoming like some middle-aged man? Yet here he was, mocking me.

Looking at his cold, indifferent face, I felt my heart drop to the depths of despair.

I had foolishly believed they would feel guilty. How ridiculous. It made me sick to my stomach.

Just then, my mother arrived, her expression a mix of annoyance and frustration. She scowled at me. "We kept it from you because we were trying to protect you. Why did you have to snoop around?"

Giselle hesitated as she looked at the cut on my forehead. Slowly, she walked over to me, but I was still pinned to the ground by the crew leader, a mess of dirt and frustration.

The crew leader apologized profusely, bowing deeply, while a service staff member rushed over with a look of concern. "Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan, we're so sorry for the mistake!" she exclaimed. "How about we provide a free makeup artist for the wedding as compensation?"

Of course, it wasn't for my wedding anymore.

As I caught Kevin's mocking expression, my anger flared even more.

I had worked tirelessly, risking my health and sanity to support them, only to find out they'd been living the high life behind my back—driving luxury cars and enjoying lavish meals, while I had been fooled into believing they were in debt. I had been nothing but a puppet, controlled and humiliated.

Giselle stepped forward, reaching out to help me, but I pushed her hand away.

At that moment, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I shouted, "So, you guys weren't in debt at all? You probably even have millions in assets! You lied to me. You were just afraid I'd use the money and block Kevin's path, right?"

Kevin grabbed Giselle's hand and sneered, "Why are you yelling? We've already done you a favor by letting you reconnect with your real family. What more do you want? Before you found us, weren't you working yourself to the bone anyway?" he continued, smirking. "What's wrong with doing that now?"

Giselle shot me a resentful look before bursting into tears. "Do you want me to suffer with you for the rest of my life?" she sobbed. "Can't I choose a better life?"

It was clear now—she was admitting to her relationship with Kevin. All my years of care had been nothing but an illusion. In her eyes, I was just someone to suffer with, not a partner to share joy with.

Did she even realize what kind of life I had given her? The clothes she wore were custom-designed by top designers hired by my foster parents, and the meals she ate were at exclusive, private restaurants. Was that really "suffering"?

I couldn't hold back anymore. I laughed bitterly. "I'm such a joke," I mocked myself. "You'll never have to go through that kind of suffering again."

My mother, standing nearby, chimed in, defending Kevin. "We were just trying to keep you from picking up bad habits. We wanted to toughen you up, but you're still acting like some uneducated swine!"

My father added, "Having a son like you is a disgrace to me."

Their words hit me like daggers. I couldn't even form a response. My heart ached, heavy with the unbearable truth that they had been using me all along.

They had said they spent all their money to search for me, which was why they had gotten into debt. I had felt sorry for them and returned to the Sullivans to help.

For five long years, I worked without rest, terrified that I might fail them. I ate plain bread and pickles while they dined on feasts.

I pushed myself to exhaustion, working non-stop to make sure my sick mother stayed in the best hospital room, even though it nearly killed me. And all she did was complain, telling me not to waste money.

At that moment, it finally clicked. She didn't care for the effort I had put in. She probably thought the room I had found for her was beneath her.

Seeing them all together, mocking me, I started laughing uncontrollably. The laughter shook my body, and even Kevin seemed to doubt my sanity.

But I wasn't crazy.

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I remembered the foolishness of breaking ties with my foster parents. I was so blind!

They had warned me that my real parents were not what they seemed, that they might even be lying to me. But I didn't listen. I didn't believe that my real parents could deceive me. I thought my foster parents just didn't want me to find my biological family, so I severed the relationship out of anger.

Now, I understood. Giselle had been in on it all along, eager for me to reconnect with my biological family. She had already planned everything.

I had always been their puppet, dancing on their strings, unaware of the truth.

It turned out that my parents, who had begged me to come home back then, never really loved me.

I worked myself to the bone for them, constantly putting their needs above mine.

But instead of any gratitude, they treated me like a fool, using me and deceiving me at every turn.

In their hearts, they only had one son—Kevin.

When Kevin was "paralyzed", I tried to find him a job he could manage, something fitting for someone with a disability.

My mother cursed me angrily for a whole day.

At that time, I thought she was just worried about her youngest son. But now I realized that behind my back, Kevin was living a life of luxury, like a rich playboy.

And now, even my fiancée had betrayed me.

I looked at her slightly rounded belly, and a terrifying thought slowly began to creep into my mind...

Clenching my fists, I gritted my teeth and asked, "And the baby…"

Giselle frowned, her face full of disgust. "Do you think I'd bear your child? Anyway, you've seen it for yourself. You're just some uneducated person from the countryside. If you weren't willing to support me, do you think I'd be with you? Get away from me. I feel like throwing up every time you're near!"

No wonder my fiancée had been pushing me away more and more recently. She even refused to lie on the same bed with me, no matter what.

I thought it was just because she was pregnant and not feeling well.

But I never imagined it was because of this!

Given Kevin's provocative gaze, everything finally clicked into place.

We always used protection, so how could she be pregnant?

At first, I thought it was an accident. I believed that she wanted to have children with me, that she really loved me and didn't care about my life.

I was so happy I didn't know what to do with myself. I even got a second job that day, trying to save up for a decent wedding for her.

But now, everything felt like a shameful lie!

At least I was finally seeing things clearly now. I would be back with Solomon soon!

Kevin squeezed Giselle's face and smiled smugly.

"Thomas, I really don't know how to thank you," he said with a mocking grin. "I heard you went so far as to clean shoes for rich kids just so my son could get something nutritious to eat, letting them treat you like a punching bag."

My mother chimed in from the side, "You should know your place and think about whether you deserve nice things! Of course, Giselle doesn't want you. What's wrong with that? Who do you think you are to complain?"

I felt like I was falling into an icy pit, pain squeezing my heart so tight I could hardly breathe.

My phone in my pocket buzzed constantly. I wanted to answer Solomon's call, but before I could, Kevin's next words sent all the blood rushing to my head.

"You should know that the first day Giselle saw me, she climbed into my bed."

So she had betrayed me from the very beginning! How I wish I had known sooner!

All that talk about unwavering love, about being together forever... none of it meant a thing when money was involved!

Then Kevin leaned in, his voice dripping with mockery. "You have good taste, though. She's a lot of fun in bed."

I couldn't take it anymore. With a flash of rage, I threw a punch at him.

"You brat!" My father, furious, kicked me hard in the knee, and Giselle rushed over to scratch my face wildly.

I tried to dodge, but instead, I tripped over a mannequin and fell straight into a puddle of water.

My mother, looking worried, instructed the staff to bring a warm towel and carefully wiped Kevin's bruised face. "Sweetheart, are you okay? It's all my fault. If I hadn't let that brat back in, you wouldn't be hurt! I didn't expect him to be so ungrateful! He's reconnected with us, but he still isn't satisfied!"

Kevin grabbed my mother's hand, shaking his head theatrically. "It's fine, Mom. He's my brother. I can take a few hits from him."

My father spat on the ground in disgust. "Brother? A worthless, ungrateful thing like him doesn't deserve to be part of our family!"

He turned to the moving crew nearby. "Whoever teaches him a lesson right now, I'll give you 2 thousand bucks!"

The moment they heard that, their eyes lit up, and they rolled up their sleeves, rushing toward me.

They dragged me out of the puddle and began beating me mercilessly, kicking and punching.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you provoke the Mr. Kevin!"

"You ungrateful piece of trash. You'll never amount to anything but a rat in the gutter!"

Even the service staff sneaked in a couple of kicks.

I was left battered, my face a mess of bruises and blood streaming down my forehead.

I curled up like a shrimp, my heart tearing apart as I remembered the suffering of the past five years.

What did I do wrong to deserve this? But all I got in response was more beating.

Through the cracks of my fingers, I saw my parents looking at me with nothing but disdain, and my mind suddenly flashed to the two wonderful people who had raised me for twenty years—my foster parents.

They had no children of their own but treated me as their own flesh and blood, giving me the best life and the best education, and even promising to find me a perfect wife.

I was a fool! I should have listened to their advice!

"Do you realize what you've done?" my father sneered, stepping on my face with his polished shoes, looking down at me. "If you grovel and apologize to Kevin right now, we might consider forgiving you."

When I didn't speak or show any sign of compliance, his fury exploded. "You rubbish! I guess we're doing this the hard way!"

He signaled the movers.

The crew leader understood, grabbing my collar and forcing me to grovel. I struggled with all my might, but the only response I got was slap after slap, the blows so hard my head spun.

They pressed down on my neck, forcing me to apologize to Kevin.

Just then, several Rolls-Royces and a long Lincoln pulled up in front of the bridal shop.

A group of tall, muscular bodyguards stepped out, followed by a sharply dressed old man, looking furious as he strode toward us.

It was the service staff who recognized him first, bowing and greeting him enthusiastically. "Mr. Reed, it's an honor to have you at our humble shop!"

But he ignored them completely and walked straight up to me, helping me to my feet.

In the next moment, his voice froze everyone in place.

"Which one of you is forcing my son to grovel and apologize?"