Xander was nowhere to be found. Mom and Dad cried, claiming I was their only hope.

Only now did I realize that my so-called biological parents had never considered me their child. Xander was the only one they could see.

Even my childhood sweetheart and wife, Lydia, had betrayed me.

Oh, right. Not just Lydia. Even the reason I returned to the Falkner family, Joel, had turned his back on me.

At that very moment, he was tightly hugging Xander's neck and calling him "Dad".

I reached out to pull him away, but he looked at me with pure disgust. "You poor, pathetic man! Don't touch me! You stink!"

A bitter taste surged in my throat. "I'm your father!"

"Go away! You're not my father!" Joel kicked me in the face. His little face contorted with hatred as he looked at me like I was his enemy.

"Stay away, you disgusting country bumpkin! If Mom hadn't forced me to call you 'Dad,' I wouldn't have bothered! Just being near you makes me want to puke."

No wonder he refused to let me hold him despite always saying I was his favorite. I'd thought it was just because he was too active for cuddles, but now…

I watched Joel's arrogant expression and realized more and more how much he looked like Xander. As I looked at their similar features, a horrifying thought crossed my mind.

Before I could speak, Xander forcefully pulled Lydia into his arms. "Julian, thanks for taking care of Mom and Dad for the past eight years. And my wife too. Oh, and also…"

He kissed Joel's cheek and smiled smugly. "I heard that you work as a punching bag to help my son recover. Tsk, tsk, you're truly amazing.

"Joel, say thank you to Uncle Julian."

I felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me.

Joel shot me a cold glare. "I'm not saying thank you to this stupid asshole! If it weren't for him stubbornly staying with us, we wouldn't need to live separately!"