Chapter 1

Twenty-six-year-old Leon Wolf was a married man whose notorious reputation was well-known across Springfield City. He lived with his wife's family—the Mansons—and was treated as an indentured servant during his three-year marriage. Dignity was a foreign concept to him, but he endured all the humiliation in silence and never once spoke up in protest. For the past three years, he worked tirelessly like a horse in the Mansons' company every single day, yet his salary had to be handed over to his wife Marilyn, whom he couldn't even get close to. By the time he came home at night, he had to do laundry, mop, cook, and various other household chores. Still, he worked diligently without complaining. He believed that by doing all this, he could prove his worth to his wife and convince her to stay with him until they grew old. But what he received in return was a cruel blow—a baby! His wife, with whom he had never even slept, was pregnant, and he was about to become a father! But would anyone consider that good news? "Is it so difficult for you to wash the clothes properly or mop the floor well, Leon? You're useless! Can't you do anything right? Why should we keep you here when even a dog would do better than you?" ... The harsh words came from Leon's mother-in-law, Helen Manson. She pointed a finger in his face and lashed out angrily. Leon looked up, his eyes bloodshot with anger. "Helen!" Leon gritted his teeth and hissed. "Don't address me by my first name. You're not worthy of calling me that!" Helen expressed her disgust and contempt. Leon remained silent and refrained from responding. Three years ago, he happened to come across the patriarch of the Mansons when the latter suddenly fell ill. Elder Manson, as he was known, had to be carried to the hospital on Leon's back for about eight miles. The old man received timely treatment and was saved thanks to Leon's kindness. Elder Manson, feeling indebted, decided to repay the favor by marrying off his granddaughter, Marilyn, to Leon. The rest of the family opposed it, but the old man turned a deaf ear to their objections. Since then, Leon had been living with the Mansons for three years. Three years! Even the most cold-hearted person would have warmed up to someone in that span of time, but the bitter mother-daughter duo made it impossible! Marilyn and her family looked down on him from the depths of their hearts simply because he was an orphan with no prospects or family background. Despite his best efforts, Marilyn and the others continued to criticize, hit, and berate him at every turn. Elder Manson was the only person in the entire family who treated him well. When Elder Manson was around to protect him, his mother-in-law Helen managed to restrain herself—but only to a certain extent. Since Elder Manson passed away from illness a month ago, Helen and everyone else had practically intensified their efforts to drive him away. He had become an unwanted presence in the family and spent his days being treated worse than a dog... The room door swung open, and Marilyn walked in, reeking of alcohol. Clad in fashionable clothes and black silk stockings, her alluring stride and seductively blushing face were irresistible to almost every man. Seeing her return, Leon looked up at her and felt a surge of pain in his aching heart. He couldn't fathom how she could bring herself to go out for drinks, even when she was pregnant! Leon's first instinct was to go and support her, but Marilyn immediately pushed him away. "Hands off me! Pack up your stuff right now and get the hell out of here. We're getting a divorce at the Civil Records Office tomorrow!" "What! Why?!" At that moment, Helen showed up and started cursing at Leon as soon as she saw him standing there in a daze. "What are you doing, Leon? Bring a basin of water and start washing Lulu's feet!" Helen walked over to Marilyn with a doting expression on her face. She gently held the woman's hand and asked with concern, "Why are you drinking so much alcohol? It's not good for the baby. You've put in so much effort to finally get pregnant with Brody's son, so you mustn't let anything happen to him." She was already looking forward to having a grandson, even though the baby's due date was still months away. Only a boy would give her daughter a chance to become Brody's wife. The only reason she kept Leon around was that she was unsure about the baby's gender—after all, someone needed to take care of her daughter, and hiring a babysitter would cost extra money. "Don't bother washing my feet! I've suffered enough from your uselessness for the past three years, Leon! Let's get divorced tomorrow!" Marilyn looked at Leon with a cold, arrogant, and contemptuous expression. Leon immediately felt as if his heart had been pierced by thousands of arrows. He knew he wasn't worthy of Marilyn, yet he continued to work hard and endure everything for three years, hoping to earn her approval. Little did he know that, in exchange for all his hard work, he would receive a request for divorce! "You're right!" Helen realized it too. "After all, we have Brody's child now, and it would tarnish our reputation if people found out he's still living with us." "I'm tired. Could you walk me to my room so I can rest? The sight of this idiot disgusts me!" Marilyn tenderly stroked her stomach, worrying about whether other women around Brody would try to interfere with them once her belly grew larger. As Helen helped Marilyn into the room, she took a jab at Leon, "Why are you still here? Do you plan to stick around and take care of a baby that isn't even yours?" In that split second, humiliation, anger, and a myriad of other negative emotions overwhelmed Leon's heart. He felt like an abandoned stray, ruthlessly chased away from its home. All his belongings from the three years of marriage—including his ID card—were thrown into the trash can. Leon's strongest emotion at that moment was bitter disappointment. He was homeless. In those three years, his earnings from work were handed over in full to his mother-in-law, and he wasn't given a single cent. He was no different from a wild dog. Leon wandered the streets and ended up at a cemetery, where he felt the cold air in the darkness. He stood before a tombstone, his expression lonely and his eyes wide, but not a single tear fell. He didn't know whether to feel anger, despair, or disappointment. Silently, he looked at the tombstone of the late Elder Manson, the only person who had protected him and cared for him during those three years. After being kicked out of the house, Leon felt compelled to pay his respects to the old man one last time. Although he intended to pay his respects, he had no money on him and couldn't even afford to buy the cheapest flowers. "Thank you for taking care of me during these three years, Sir... "Tomorrow, I'm going to divorce Marilyn... "I failed to live up to your expectations..." Leon's eyes were red. He knelt in the dark of the night and bowed repeatedly before Elder Manson's tombstone. It was difficult to put the bitterness and sadness in his heart into words. After paying his respects, he picked up a pendant, held it in his hand, and sat blankly on the ground with his back against the tombstone. Unbeknownst to Leon, the pendant seemed to emit a soft white light, as if it could sense the anger and humiliation within him...