My brother-in-law, Calum Russell, throws away the expensive New Year's gift that I buy. Putting a hand on my sister's pregnant belly, he tries to drive me out of the house.

He says, "I pretended that I didn't know you were adopted because you used to help support the family's finances. But now that the house is about to be demolished, we will get a huge compensation for it. I have to kick you out, or you'll be taking my son's share!"

I look at my parents and my sister in confusion, but none of them take my side.

They just look at me with disgust and tell me to be grateful that they raised me for so many years. They demand that I sign the adoption termination agreement quickly and get out.

I let out a sigh. Suppressing my anger, I sign it and leave.

What a pity!

If they had waited just a few more minutes, I would have told them that the demolition is fake. But what's real is that I have just won a lottery of 200 million dollars.

I walked through the front door carrying bags of gifts, smiling and wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Yet the expressions on their faces were far from cheerful.

My brother-in-law, Calum Russell, looked particularly furious. His face was practically twisted with anger. I wondered if they had gotten into an argument.

I glanced at my older sister, Eliza Stark, and said in a slightly firmer tone, "Eliza, did you upset Calum again? I know you're pregnant, but that doesn't mean you can go too far. Before you lose your temper, think about how good Calum has been to you. Do you really have to make his life miserable?"

Eliza looked at me briefly and said nothing.

Calum let out a cold snort. "Are you the head of the Stark family now? It's the New Year, yet you're here lecturing your pregnant sister. No wonder people say you should never marry a woman with a younger brother. I must have the worst luck in the world to end up with a brother-in-law like you."

I froze instantly. I was clearly defending him. How had that turned into lecturing Eliza?

Was Calum's anger directed at me? I thought back on our recent interactions and was certain that things between us had been going smoothly. We were close enough to be brothers. None of this made sense.

My dad, Leon Stark, let out a couple of chuckles. "Alright, alright. Look at all the gifts Jeremiah brought. Let's see what he got us."

My mom, Bertha Sloan, agreed awkwardly.

Even though I was irritated, I figured that looking after Eliza during her pregnancy might have worn out Calum's patience, so I forced a smile. "That's right. Calum, I got you a lot of things. There's your favorite—"

Before I could finish, Calum shot to his feet, snatched the bags right out of my hands, and hurled everything outside in one go. He even spat on the ground in disgust.

"I don't want your trash. I've already looked—these are all brands I've never heard of. You show up on New Year's, hauling this garbage and acting like a big shot. Who do you think you are?"

This time, I was genuinely furious.

Calum was a few years younger than Eliza and the same age as me. We had always gotten along well. Even if we weren't brothers, we were close enough to be called best friends.

Although he chose to marry early, he had always supported my decision to stay single and child-free. Whenever Mom, Dad, or Eliza pushed me to get married, Calum always took my side.

"That's outdated thinking. Choosing not to marry or have kids is completely normal these days. Instead of forcing Jeremiah to get married and have kids, why not let him live happily?"

"Jeremiah, don't worry. Whatever you decide, I'll always have your back. If you change your mind and want a kid someday, I can even let you adopt my second or third child. We're family, after all. Just focus on enjoying your life to the fullest."

His words still echoed in my mind. How had he suddenly become so cold and aggressive?

I couldn't hide my irritation. "Calum, what's going on? Did I do something to upset you? If there's been some kind of misunderstanding, just say so. We're family."

The moment the word "family" left my mouth, Calum sneered. "Family? Dad, Mom, Eliza, the baby, and I are the real family. You're just some unwanted thing they picked up off the street. What gives you the nerve to call us your family?"

Calum was right. I was adopted by Mom and Dad, but he had known that for a long time. So why was he suddenly bringing it up today?

While I was still processing everything, Calum pulled a stack of papers from the coffee table drawer. "This is an agreement to dissolve the adoption. Sign it. Once you do, we won't have anything to do with each other anymore."

I was completely lost. It took me a long moment before I found my voice. "Calum, what do you mean by that?"

Calum let out a cold snort. "What do I mean? Can't you tell? Our family doesn't want a piece of trash like you around anymore."

Noticing my pained expression, Calum continued, "I know what you're thinking. You're wondering why I never said anything earlier even though I've always known you were adopted, and why I had to wait until New Year's Day to bring it up. Am I right?

"I don't need to hide anything anymore. Honestly, I thought about kicking you out from the very first day I got married. That was when Eliza told me you didn't plan to get married or have kids, and that your salary was quite high.

"That's why I played along, made you think I was your best friend, and got you to willingly hand over most of your paycheck to the family."

My heart sank as I heard those words. I couldn't help but glance at Eliza and my parents. They merely kept their heads down and remained silent. It was clear that they agreed with Calum.

When I didn't respond, Calum looked pleased with himself. "The reason I'm kicking you out now is that the house is going to be demolished for redevelopment. The compensation is based on square footage. If I don't get rid of you soon, you'll shamelessly try to take a share meant for my child."

I couldn't help repeating his words. "Demolished? This house is getting demolished?"

When Eliza heard my words, she frowned. "Stop playing dumb. Didn't you already know the house was going to be demolished?

"Out of nowhere, you said you'd take Calum and me house hunting. You insisted on buying a large unit with five bedrooms and two living rooms so the whole family could live together, saying we'd soon have money. After we questioned you repeatedly, you finally told us there was a demolition coming."

Hearing her words, I finally understood. I had actually been planning to buy Eliza a large house. To keep it a surprise, I had made up the demolition story as a throwaway excuse.

Once I figured it out, I found the whole thing laughable. I never expected Calum and Eliza to believe an excuse I made up on the spot.

I couldn't hold it in and started laughing. "Demolition? That was just something I—"

Before I could finish, Calum shouted for me to shut up. "Don't even think about it. The house belongs to Mom and Dad. It could never be yours.

"You're just a piece of trash they picked up off the street. How dare you think you deserve a share of the money? Between an adopted son and a biological grandchild, Mom and Dad know who matters more."

Only then did I realize Mom and Dad hadn't said a single word in my defense since I walked through the door.

Even though I was angry, Calum was right about one thing. Without my parents, I probably wouldn't have had the happy childhood I did. Because of that, I was still willing to give them a chance.

I turned to my parents for help. "Dad, Mom, do you really want to get rid of me?"

Their expressions were tense as well. Mom forced an awkward smile at Calum. "Calum, Jeremiah may not be my biological son, but I raised him. I still trust him. He won't ask for the compensation we're getting from the demolition."

Dad quickly agreed. "Exactly. Let's forget the agreement. Why don't we write a statement instead? Jeremiah can guarantee that he won't take any of the family's savings or the compensation money for the demolition. That should settle it."

To be honest, before today, I had never thought about taking a single cent from this family. Yet hearing those words still left a bad feeling in my gut. I wasn't sure if I was being too sensitive, but it felt as if this was all a trap.

Calum was even more furious than I was. After hearing what Mom and Dad said, he stood up without a word and grabbed his bag. "Fine, suit yourselves. I'll take Eliza to have your grandson aborted right now so he won't stand in the way of this adopted bastard.

"Since the courthouse is still open ahead of the holiday, I'll file for divorce from Eliza right away. She and Jeremiah aren't related by blood anyway. Since you favor him so much, you might as well let him be your son-in-law."

As soon as he said that, the whole house erupted into chaos.

Eliza looked as if she were about to drop to her knees. "Darling, please stop. This is our son. How could we get rid of him? Have you forgotten how long we waited for this baby?"

Calum didn't actually want Eliza to have an abortion. As he looked at her slightly rounded belly, tears streamed down his face. "Do you think I really want you to have an abortion? Have you thought about what will happen if I don't do something?

"Legally, Jeremiah has inheritance rights. If his biological parents could throw him away, that says plenty about the kind of people they were. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. What makes you think he won't come after our family's assets?

"Besides, there's still a week until the New Year. All these years, he always waited until New Year's Eve to return, so why did he come back so early this time? He obviously came home to claim a share of the compensation money."

By the time he finished speaking, Eliza looked overwhelmed and kept sighing. It was clear she thought he had a point.

I frowned. I had always heard that women tended to listen to their husbands after getting married, but I never imagined my sister, who had spoiled me since childhood, would be one of them.

Seeing that Eliza had gone quiet, Calum stopped pressuring her and turned to my parents. "Dad, Mom, tell me. Who do you want? Me—your son-in-law—and your grandson, or this scum you picked up off the street?"

An eerie silence fell over the room. I wanted to leave right away to avoid putting Mom and Dad in a difficult position, as I knew they would never force me out.

They had always treated me very well growing up, even better than they treated Eliza. Everyone knew that. It was that love that had kept me from losing my temper through all of this.

Thinking of that, I took several deep breaths. "Calum, parents always plan for their children's future. I get it, so I won't be angry with you. I'm willing to write a guarantee that I will never take a single dollar from Mom and Dad. About the demolition—"

Calum cut me off impatiently. "Of course you'd say that now. Who's to say you won't cause problems later?"

I shook my head. "Calum, we're both younger. Do you really have to pressure Mom and Dad like this?"

Calum smiled as if he had just heard something ridiculous. "I'm not pressuring them. Haven't you noticed they have already signed that agreement sitting right in front of you?"

What? I felt a chill run through my entire body. I stood frozen in place, staring at Mom and Dad in disbelief.

Seeing my expression, they both looked a little embarrassed but eventually nodded.

Mom spoke up. "Jeremiah, just let it go. Sign the papers. Your dad and I raised you for 20 years. If you really care about us, don't make this harder than it needs to be. Even after you sign, you're still welcome to visit us, and you'll still be part of this family."

My throat tightened. I couldn't get a single word out.

Eliza sighed. "Jeremiah, you're a sensible person. By now, you should understand where Mom, Dad, and I stand. Do us a favor and let our family have a peaceful New Year, okay?"

My gaze drifted between the three of them several times. In the end, I slumped onto the couch, drained of all strength. "Do you really want to kick me out?"