The first time I went to my girlfriend’s home, she took me straight into a Luxury Postpartum Retreat.

As soon as we stepped inside, her younger brother walked up holding a baby in his arms.

“Future brother-in-law, come check out your little nephew. Isn’t he cute?”

“We haven’t had enough fun yet, and you and my sister don’t have kids. Why don’t you take him for two years to practice parenting?”

Before I could even process what he was saying, he shoved a bill into my hands.

“This is the bill for my girlfriend’s stay here—total comes to $50,000. You can help pay for it.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “This is your kid. What does that have to do with me?”

Ryan shot me a glare. “What do you mean it has nothing to do with you? You’re about to marry my sister—this is what you’re supposed to do.”

“Don’t forget my sister is now an investment director. Plenty of men are lining up to marry her. The fact that she chose you is your blessing.”

I was speechless.

If not for me, does he really think Claire could have climbed to the director position this quickly?

…

I turned to look at Claire Moore, who was staring at the floor, avoiding my eyes.

I sighed and refused again. “I’m not paying this $50,000.”

Ryan’s face instantly darkened.

Claire quickly pulled me aside, speaking in a low voice:

“Ethan Carter, Ryan might have gone a bit too far this time, but he’s still young. Don’t let this ruin his future. Why don’t we just help him this once?”

“And besides, this means he considers you family. You should be happy about that.”

I stared at her. “Claire, why didn’t you tell me about this before we came here?”

She nervously brushed her hair behind her ear. “I wanted to surprise you.”

A surprise?

I almost laughed from anger.

Ryan overheard our conversation and raised his voice:

“What? I’m kindly letting you practice on my son so you won’t mess up raising your own kids with my sister in the future. Shouldn’t you be happy about this? Shouldn’t you be paying up?”

“When I get discharged, the kid will stay with you and my sister. Oh, and that downtown condo of yours with the great school enrollment spot—perfect for my son when he starts school.”

Ryan got more and more carried away. “If it’s too much trouble for you, I can move in with my girlfriend too. We’ll help babysit when we have time.”

“And we can help manage your household finances too, so you don’t waste money.”

I let out a cold laugh, cutting him off. “Ryan, you sure have some imagination. I’ll say this one last time: I won’t pay this money, and I won’t raise this kid.”

The moment I finished, Ryan let out a dramatic scream:

“Claire! Look at him! We’re not even married yet and he’s already bullying me!”

“You’ve never scolded me once growing up—why does he get to treat me like this?”

I turned to Claire. “Is that what you think too?”

She said nothing, which was as good as admitting it.

It all clicked.

She knew everything from the start—knew her brother’s plan to extort me, knew he wanted me to raise his kid, and she was fine with it.

She had been planning to make me the scapegoat all along.

And to think I pitied her for losing her parents young and raising her brother by herself.

“Claire, you’ve really opened my eyes.”

I sneered, slapped the bill down on the table, and said, “This ‘blessing’? Whoever wants it can have it.”

Then I turned and left.

Ryan screamed behind me:

“Ethan! Get back here! Go on, walk out that door—I’ll make my sister break up with you!”

I stopped for a second and glanced back at him.

Did he really think his sister was some priceless treasure?

She only got that director position so young because my dad made a special exception for her.

Claire ran after me, blocking my way.

“Ethan, don’t be impulsive. Ryan’s just stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside. Don’t take him too seriously.”

I laughed. “Soft on the inside? Claire, what does your brother take me for? A walking ATM? A free nanny?”

She panicked. “It’s not like that! Ryan just wants us to get married sooner, and having a kid around would be good practice.”

I looked her straight in the eyes. “And you? What do you think?”

Claire hesitated, stammering. “I... I think he has a point...”

At that moment, my heart completely went cold.

This woman never really cared about me. To her, I was just an accessory to their family.

“Claire, we’re done.”

Her face changed instantly.

“Ethan! Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve been together for so long. You can’t just break up over something so trivial—”

“Trivial?” I stared at her panicked expression, feeling a bitter laugh rise in my chest.

“Forget it. It doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t ever contact me again.”

I walked past her just as the elevator doors opened.

Behind me, Ryan’s angry voice echoed down the hall:

“That idiot! Thinks he’s all that! Good riddance—saves my sister the trouble!”

After leaving the retreat, I blocked Claire’s number.

But she kept calling from different numbers, like she’d gone mad.

Each time I heard her voice, I hung up immediately.

Until the twelfth call finally got through—Claire’s tearful voice came through the line:

“Ethan, please! Ryan regrets everything. He booked a private dining room at the Grand Hyatt Hotel to apologize to you.”

“You know how much I love you. We’ve been together three years. Please forgive me this once.”

Her sobs made my heart soften.

Maybe... maybe she really realized her mistake.

“Just an apology?”

“Yes! Just an apology! Ryan promised he’ll never bring up money again.”

I hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing.

But when I pushed open the door to the luxurious private dining room, I froze.

The room was packed—full of Claire’s extended relatives.

No fewer than a dozen of them.

Ryan sat at the head of the table, holding the baby with a smug grin.

When he saw me, he stood up immediately.

“Everyone, look! This is my future brother-in-law, Ethan!”

“He said he’s giving his nephew a $50,000 red envelope!”

What?!

Before I could react, the relatives swarmed me.

“What a good young man Ethan is!”

“So generous—Ryan, you’re lucky to have him!”

“So considerate—just like a son-in-law should be!”

A middle-aged woman in a floral shirt grabbed my hand, smiling.

“Ethan, your brother-in-law said you’re even letting your nephew use your school enrollment spot for when he starts school?”

Another woman chimed in:

“And since you’re well-off, you might as well buy him a house for when he gets married someday. After all, you can afford it.”

Ryan sneered from the side.

“Yesterday he acted all high and mighty, but he can’t live without my sister after all, huh?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you do this for free. When my kid grows up, his used clothes can go to you and my sister’s kids—to save you some money.”

Claire stood there with an awkward smile, nervously piling food into my bowl, her eyes pleading with me to just endure it.

Looking at this pack of greedy faces, the fire in my chest burned hotter and hotter.

So this was Claire’s so-called apology—using me as a scapegoat, morally blackmailing me in front of everyone.

I put down my chopsticks and stood up.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there must be a misunderstanding.”

“Everything you just said—I never agreed to any of it. I won’t pay a single cent, and I won’t let you take anything from me.”

Ryan’s face changed instantly.

He smashed a teacup to the ground and pointed at me, roaring:

“You dare play me for a fool?! You shameless man! You dare go back on your word in front of everyone?!”

The relatives’ expressions soured, whispering and pointing fingers.

“What’s wrong with this kid?”

“Can’t keep his word?”

“Claire, what kind of boyfriend did you find?”

Claire panicked, tugging at my arm.

“Ethan, stop making a scene—everyone’s watching.”

I yanked my arm free, laughing coldly.

“Claire, I trusted you this one last time because of our past. And you? You set me up with a public ambush.”

“From now on, if you dare come looking for me again, don’t blame me for taking back everything I ever gave you.”

I turned and left.

That night, just after I finished my shower, the doorbell rang.

Through the peephole, I saw Claire holding the baby, Ryan behind her with a huge suitcase.

I ignored them.

But the next second, I heard a key turning in the lock.

Damn it—I forgot to take back the spare key I’d given Claire.

The door opened and Ryan swaggered in, announcing brazenly:

“Since you won’t pay for the retreat, I’ll just live here. You can take care of me and the baby.”

He turned to Claire and commanded:

“Claire, change the sheets in the master bedroom. Ethan’s sleeping on the couch tonight.”

My blood pressure spiked. “This is my house! You can’t just—”

Before I could finish, Ryan was already striding into my bedroom.

He opened my closet and started pulling out my designer watches and suits.

“These things are too flashy. I’ll keep them safe for you.”

“Put them down!”

I lunged forward to stop him, but Claire held me back.

“Ethan, we’re family—don’t be so petty.”

I was about to argue when I saw Ryan pick up my father’s photo from the nightstand, a look of disgust on his face.

“Who keeps this creepy stuff in the bedroom? Such bad luck.”

He raised his hand, ready to throw it into the trash.

My blood boiled over.

“Stop!”

I broke free from Claire with all my strength and rushed to snatch the photo back.

Ryan suddenly dropped to the ground, screaming dramatically.

“Help! He hit me!”

“Claire, you saw it! I treated him like my real brother-in-law and he actually laid hands on me!”

Claire hurried over and pushed me hard.

Caught off guard, I stumbled back and crashed into the corner of the wall. Pain shot through my back.

Instead of checking on me, Claire crouched down next to Ryan.

“Ryan, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

Ryan clutched his waist, groaning.

“My back… I think he broke my back.”

“Don’t worry, Ryan. I’ll get you to bed.”

She comforted him softly, then turned back to me, her expression ice-cold.

“Ethan, go stay somewhere else for a few days. Wait until Ryan calms down.”

I let out a short, bitter laugh.

“Claire, this is my house.”

My words seemed to ignite her rage.

Her eyes went red as she screamed—